ED Summons Mohammed Azharuddin In Money Laundering Case Linked To Hyderabad Cricket Association

The ED is probing a Rs 20 crore fraud within the HCA, with the investigation stemming from three FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Hyderabad.

The former Indian cricket captain and current working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) is expected to appear before the ED on Thursday.

Source : X

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former cricketer and politician Mohammed Azharuddin in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). Azharuddin, who served as HCA president, faces allegations of misappropriating funds during his tenure. The former Indian cricket captain and current working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) is expected to appear before the ED on Thursday.

Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Cricketer and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin in an alleged money laundering case linked to Hyderabad Cricket Association: Sources

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/oX9Tvs4Wc9

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2024

 

ED Probe So Far

The ED is probing a Rs 20 crore fraud within the HCA, with the investigation stemming from three FIRs registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Hyderabad, according to a report on IANS. These FIRs pertain to the alleged criminal misappropriation of funds involving irregularities in the procurement of DG sets, firefighting systems, and canopies for the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium.

Azharuddin is not the first HCA official to come under scrutiny. In December last year, the ED questioned former cricketers Arshad Ayub and Shivlal Yadav. Former HCA president and ex-minister G. Vinod was also interrogated as part of the investigation. The ED had conducted searches at nine locations across Telangana in November last year, including the residences of Vinod, Ayub, and Yadav, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ACB's inquiry revealed that multiple projects related to the stadium's construction were delayed beyond deadlines, leading to escalated costs, budget overruns, and financial losses to the HCA.

Azhar was elected as the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association post his retirement in 2019.

In 2023 Telangana Assembly Elections, Azharuddin contested from Jubilee Hills constituency but lost to BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath.