State Minister for Urban Development and senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Firhad Hakim appeared before the Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Wednesday in relation to the Narada cash-on-camera scam.
Mr. Hakim was among the several TMC Ministers, MLAs and MPs who were purportedly seen taking money in the Narada sting operation footages. However, neither Mr. Hakim nor ED officials could be reached for comments. Mr. Hakim is considered to be one of the leaders closest to the party chief Mamata Banerjee.
The videos were first made public by news portal Narada News just before the 2016 Assembly elections in Bengal, generating sharp reactions from the opposition parties against the TMC.
In April, the Central Bureau of Investigation lodged an FIR against 13 persons, including Mr. Hakim, in connection with the Narada sting operation case. The Calcutta High Court had in March directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary envestigation into the case and take necessary steps.
The ED had earlier registered a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a first information report or FIR filed by the CBI.
The ED’s case was registered on April 18, a day after the CBI filed its criminal FIR against 13 TMC leaders.