Ranchi: Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda will be questioned by the Income Tax department in connection with the alleged Rs 4000-crore corruption and money-laundering scam on Tuesday.
Koda, who spent around a week in a Ranchi hospital, was discharged on Sunday. Bhanu Pratap Sahi, Bandhu Tirkey and Kamlesh Singh, who were ministers in Koda’s government, will also be questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials over the next three days.
Koda is accused of amassing over crores of rupees through hawala (illegal money transfers). IT department sources say Koda will be questioned for allegedly concealing income and illegal investments found during searches at premises owned by him. The ED has also asked Koda to appear before it on November 13.
Devendra Mukhia, an alleged aide of the former chief minister, on Monday surrendered before the Income Tax department in Ranchi.
Income Tax authorities are scrutinising the mining deals signed when Koda was chief minister- between September 2006 and August 2008. Koda had kept the mines and geology department with himself. He was also mines and geology minister between March 2005 and September 2006 when Arjun Munda was chief minister.
According to sources, the IT department has sought details of mines, recommendation of lease of mines made under Koda, issuing survey licence of mines and others. The Mines Director was asked to submit the details of mines lease recommendations made and lease granted during the Koda regime like iron ore, coal, uranium, and others. The details were given to the IT authorities Sunday by Jharkhand, Mines and Geology Director BB Singh.
The ED had earlier summoned Koda and other accused on November 11 to appear in New Delhi.
On October 9, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Koda, three more former ministers as well as his associates Vinod Sinha and Sanjay Chaudhary. Vikas Sinha, brother of Koda's close aide Vinod Sinha, was Saturday sent to ED custody for 10 days.
According to sources, Vikas has admitted to sending Rs 40 crore abroad for Koda.
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