Fresh summons have been issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Mahua Moitra, a prominent leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Darshan Hiranandani, a Dubai-based businessman, in connection with a case related to contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), according to official sources on Wednesday.
Moitra, aged 49, who represents the Trinamool Congress, had previously been called for questioning by the central agency on two occasions, but she did not appear, citing official commitments, and requested a postponement of the summons.
Both Moitra and Hiranandani have been instructed to present themselves for questioning at the ED's office on Thursday, as per the sources.
In addition to the FEMA case, Hiranandani has also been summoned by the agency in a separate matter related to his real estate group based in Mumbai. Previously, his father, Niranjan Hiranandani, had appeared before the ED in Mumbai.
Regarding the ongoing case, it was reported that an attorney purportedly associated with Moitra was interrogated by the ED on Wednesday at its premises.
Moitra, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December due to allegations of "unethical conduct", has been nominated by her party to contest from the Krishnanagar constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.
In another development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at Moitra's premises in connection with a cash-for-query case following directives from the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. These directives stemmed from allegations made by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who accused Moitra of accepting cash and gifts from Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in Parliament targeting industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others.
The ED is reportedly investigating transactions associated with a non-resident external (NRE) account, as well as several other foreign remittances and fund transfers.
Moitra has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that she is being unfairly targeted due to her scrutiny of deals involving the Adani Group.
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