Azhar skips ED summons in HCA case, called again on Oct 8

Hyderabad: Former Indian cricket captain and Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin on Thursday failed to appear before the ED in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), official sources said.

The 61-year-old former MP was asked to depose before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its office here on Fateh Maidan Road and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.

The former cricketer sought more time from the agency. He has been issued fresh summons for October 8, they said.

The probe is related to alleged financial irregularities in the HCA. The ED had conducted searches in connection with the irregularities in November last year.

It had also raided the premises of former office bearers of the HCA, including ex-vice president and Indian cricketer Shivlal Yadav, Congress MLA and ex-president Gaddam Vinod and former HCA secretary Arshad Ayub apart from the office of a company called S S Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and the residential premises of its MD Satyanarayana.

Azharuddin's role during his tenure as the HCA president is under the agency's scanner, the sources said.

There was no response from the former Indian skipper, who had unsuccessfully contested the Telangana Assembly polls last year.

Following the registration of the case in the matter by the state police last year, he had said that the allegations levelled against him were "false" and "motivated" and it was "just a stunt" pulled by his rivals to ruin his reputation.

The money laundering case stems from three FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for alleged criminal misappropriation of funds of the HCA to the tune of Rs 20 crore.

One such FIR was registered on the complaint of HCA CEO Suneel Kante Bose after a forensic audit (interim report) found that certain transactions done on behalf of the body with third-party vendors were "not genuine" and that the transactions were carried out in a manner "detrimental" to the interest of the association.

The police charge sheets contain "allegations of serious irregularities in the procurement of DG sets, fire fighting systems and canopies for the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium constructed in Uppal, Hyderabad," the ED had earlier in a statement.

According to the charge sheets, despite deadlines, several works were delayed inordinately, leading to escalated costs and budget enhancements and corresponding losses to the HCA.

It was found that the office bearers of the HCA, including its then secretary, president and vice-president and others, in collusion with private parties, "arbitrarily" got various tenders and works allotted to preferred vendors at prices higher than market rates without following proper tender processes and in many cases, even before the receipt of quotations, the agency had alleged.

Advance payments were made to many contractors but no work was done by them, it added.

The ED had said its raids undertaken last year led to the seizure of digital devices, "incriminating" documents and "unaccounted" cash of Rs 10.39 lakh.

One of the observations made in the forensic report was that "Mohammad Azharuddin, the then president of the association in the 9th Apex Council meeting held on March 3, 2021 had sought taking up discussions regarding firefighting equipment. However, subsequently without assigning any reasons, the tender was not allotted to any of the bidders. Thereafter, HCA had floated a second tender for the same work".

Azharuddin, a Padma Shri and Arjuna Award recipient, began his political innings with a win from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009.

He is also the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).