Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren after being absent from his residence, sent a letter to the Enforcement Directorate saying that he will record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case, according to the sources. The case is connected to alleged purchase and sale of tribal land by forging documents between 2020 and 2022.This is not the first time Soren has skipped the summon. Before this, ED had earlier summoned Soren on August 14, August 24, September 9, September 23, October 4, December 12, December 29, and January 13, all which Soren skipped.While accepting to record his statement, the Jharkhand chief minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and was meant to disrupt the functioning of his government.It is to worth noted that his statement has come after a team of Enforcement Directorate visited his South Delhi residence on Monday to question him in the case, but he was not present at his home. The agency soon after this, intimated the Delhi Police regarding the missing whereabouts of the Jharkhand CM.Meanwhile, a luxury car, mobile phones and cash worth Rs 36 lakhs belonging to Soren from his Delhi residence has been seized by ED on Monday night in the alleged scam. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren remains untraceable. Enforcement Directorate has recovered Rs 36 lakhs in cash and also seized two cars from the Delhi residence of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren during the probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam: Sources pic.twitter.com/Hx605sZAiW— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024What does Sorens letter to ED saysThe letter by Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren to ED Ranchi says, You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024 and the undersigned will be pre-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements, the letter written by Soren to EDs Ranchi office said.In these circumstances, your insistence to record a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31 January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties, it added.Meanwhile, Section 144 CrPc has been imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Sorens residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi.Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Sorens residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024
