Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, facing money laundering and corruption charges has written a letter virtually challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s power to summon him for questioning, reports said on Friday.
The former chief minister citing ‘parliamentary privilege’ claims that he being a Member of Parliament cannot be summoned in an arbitrary way and that the ED should have served him notice atleast 30 days in advance.
The latest move by Koda is clearly being seen as another ploy to escape interrogation about his ill gotten wealth. Koda had yesterday, once again, failed to appear before the ED sleuths saying that he was not available as he was busy campaigning in interior areas of the state for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Sources said that apart from election campaigning Koda has also said that he will be attending the winter session of Parliament in Delhi.
ED officials however did not say anything about the new dates to be issued to the former chief minister.
"We will take an appropriate decision," sources said.
Koda, according to sources, was to be questioned on the basis of documents seized during the nationwide Income Tax searches on him and his associates, which began on October
31.
The ED also wanted to grill Koda on the statements of his business partner Vikash Sinha, arrested by the Directorate and presently in judicial custody.
Koda had earlier termed all charges against him as a "political conspiracy".
The former chief minister said on November 14, "I am very much aware that some political higher-ups are working against me. I shall expose them at an appropriate time".
First Published: Friday, November 20, 2009, 14:30