ED raids TMC MP Nadimul Haque in case against his Urdu daily

Kolkata, Sep 7 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of TMC Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged suspicious transactions by a company that publishes an Urdu daily promoted by him, officials said.

Haque, who is with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction, is the director of the company named Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt. Ltd. that publishes the daily Akhbar-E-Mashriq.

Haque, 56, is also a journalist and businessman.

Officials said the probe relates to allegations concerning the publication and dissemination of material promoting communal disharmony, "unaccounted" cash transactions and some funding from suspicious sources for the daily.

About seven premises in Kolkata, Delhi and Ranchi were raided and agency officials claimed that the news outlet "overstated" its circulation to obtain government advertisements and received "majority" funds from the erstwhile TMC-led West Bengal government through an advertising agency which has connections with a Dubai-based entity.

Reacting to the ED action, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien alleged that the searches at Haque's locations, including his Delhi residence used as the party office, were an attempt to divert attention from the building collapse in the national capital in which students were killed.

He said that Haque was in Ranchi attending a meeting of the Parliament's Government Assurances Committee.

Haque did not respond to the charges made by the agency.

"The ED's conviction rate is 0.13 per cent. BJP uses it as a pathetic tool to target political opponents," a senior TMC leader said.

The central agency has maintained that its conviction rate in money laundering cases remains around 94 per cent.

The ED is also investigating certain transactions the company allegedly had with Bitcoin vendors and the subsequent transfer of funds to some private wallets.

The ED officials found during the searches that the company reported Rs 1.5 crore 'cash-in-hand', but reportedly lacked a commensurate amount to substantiate it.

The ED case booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) stems from an FIR registered by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.

"Akhbar-e-Mashriq is more than a newspaper. It is a four-decade legacy of uncompromising journalism, technological innovation, and relentless dedication to our readers," the Urdu daily states on its website.

The paper was founded by the MP's father Mohammad Wasimul Haq in 1980.