Punjab Week after raids ED summons AAP's Moga MLA for questioning on Nov 26

Chandigarh, Nov 11 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Punjab AAP MLA Amandeep Kaur Arora for questioning in a money laundering case on November 26, officials said on Wednesday.

     The central agency had raided the premises of 42-year-old Amandeep Kaur, the MLA from Moga, her husband Rakesh Arora and a hospital-cum-de-addiction centre linked to them on November 4.

     Officials said the MLA, an MBBS doctor, has been asked to depose before the agency in Chandigarh on November 26 for questioning while her husband has been called for November 25. Their statements will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

     The ED had said last week that searches conducted against Amandeep Kaur showed alleged involvement of the MLA and her husband in facilitating the siphoning off compensation funds the government gave to locals whose land was acquired for constructing a highway.

     The ED case stems from an FIR filed by Moga police (Dharamkot police station) on charges of manipulating revenue records of a government land in Adhraman village, which resulted in the wrongful disbursement of more than Rs 1 crore for the land acquired for the construction of National Highway 754A.

     The probe found "fraudulent" acquisition and transfer of several government, municipal and charitable properties.

     "These properties were allegedly acquired or transferred in favour of the MLA's relatives and other associated persons through manipulation of revenue records and execution of property documents," the ED said in a statement.

     It further claimed the involvement of the MLA, her husband and other associates in facilitating the diversion and siphoning off the compensation funds.

     After the raids, the MLA accused the BJP of indulging in political vendetta, alleging that the 42-hour-long ED raids at her residence included repeated pressure to join the BJP in exchange for a ministerial position.

     The agency said the searches resulted in the recovery of "incriminating" documents, electronic devices and other "evidence" indicating the alleged acquisition of benami properties by the MLA and her associates.

     In an interaction with reporters, the AAP legislator claimed that despite extensive searches at her residence and hospital, the ED could not recover a single penny and returned empty-handed.

     Amandeep Kaur, who is also the president of the Punjab AAP women's wing, has been renominated by the party from the Moga seat for the assembly elections due early next year.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)