The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday interrogated Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the alleged illegal mining case at Sahibganj district. The federal agency quizzed Soren at the ED office at Hinoo, for several hours and placed more than a dozen questions. Earlier, Chief Minister Soren along with his younger brother Basant Soren reached ED office at 12 noon after addressing media persons at his Kanke road residence.
Sources said that three senior officials of ED who had come from Delhi interrogated Soren. Questions relating to his name, father’s name and others which are considered as basic questions were first asked followed by which ED asked CM about his and family bank details.
The ED also questioned how his bank passbook and cheque bearing his signature were recovered from his MLA representative Pankaj Mishra’s residence at Sahibganj. In July this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Pankaj Mishra, in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to alleged illegal mining.
Earlier, the ED had said that it had seized cash amounting to Rs 11.88 crore lying in 37 bank accounts belonging to Mishra and others in an illegal mining case. The money was seized under the Prevention of money-laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED also questioned Soren about his links with Prem Prakash, the alleged power broker. In August this year two AK-47 rifles and 60 cartridges were recovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from the home of Prem Prakash, an alleged close associate of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Prem Prakash too is under ED custody.
The federal agency also questioned Soren about his association with Kolkata based businessman Amit Agarwal and former JMM treasurer Ravi Kejriwal.
The ED asked the CM that in the past one year illegal mining to the tune of eight crore metric tonnes have been carried out in Sahibganj district due to which the state exchequer has suffered a loss of more than Rs 1000 crore. The ED alleged that illegal mining to such an extent cannot be carried out without the knowledge of Chief Minister and if CM had any information what action he had taken to stop the illegal mining.
The ED questions that illegal mining to such a large extent requires more than 6000 railway racks and around 4500 trucks and in such a situation what action was carried out by CM to stop the illegal mining.
Meanwhile, the agency has stated that its findings are based on facts and documentary evidence. The probe agency claimed that they have conducted field investigations, examined all documents and the statements of independent witnesses and officials. “The scam is worth Rs. 1000 Crore and the finding is backed by investigation. How can they deny that Pankaj Mishra and others were not indulged in the illegal stone mining? The department should have checked its own circulars and orders to understand the matter,” sources at ED said.