Suspended Congress MLA Dr Irfan Ansari today didn’t appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the MLA cash recovery case. Ansari the Jamtara MLA skipped the summon of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought two weeks’ to appear before the agency. However, the agency is likely to give him one week time only. Irfan Ansari was asked to appear before the agency at its Ranchi zonal office at 11 AM today.
Though Ansari didn’t appear before ED court, he made his representation before the ED through his advocate and requested for additional time on the health grounds. Irfan Ansari said that since he was not aware of any summon hence, he stayed back in his Assembly constituency Jamtara and practically it would not be possible for him to reach Ranchi.
Ansari, in July, along with three MLAs from the Jharkhand unit of the Congress party, was arrested in connection with a huge amount of cash recovered from them in West Bengal’s Howrah. Later, all three MLAs were suspended from the Congress.
The ED had issued a notice to the three MLAs of Jharkhand Congress to appear for questioning in the cash recovery case on different dates. The ED had also sent summons to two other MLAs of the Jharkhand Congress namely Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari and asked to appear before it on January 13 and January 16 respectively. Both of them are also accused in this case along with Irfan Ansari.
The ED has directed these MLAs to submit their property details as well as their bank accounts and family members.
The ED is investigating this case which was originally lodged by the Bengal police on the basis of a zero FIR lodged by Jharkhand Congress MLA Jaimangal Singh alias Anoop Singh. Irfan Ansari and two other party MLAs namely Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari were arrested at Howrah on July 30 last year along with cash to the tune of Rs. 48 lakh. They were allegedly returning after receiving cash from the BJP as a part of a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren government.