ED to move court to question Jagan

After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to turn the heat on MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy on charges of corruption.

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The ED would be filing a petition in the CBI court today, seeking permission to question Jagan, as the YSR Congress chief is known, who was sent to judicial custody for two weeks by the court May 28.u00a0

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A team of ED officials have reached Hyderabad from New Delhi and are working with their counterparts here to carry out the investigations.

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The ED officials, who also held talks with CBI sleuths, would question the chief of YSR Congress Party for alleged violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

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The ED has already booked Jagan, his associates and some bureaucrats under the two acts.

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Jagan is likely to be grilled by ED officials about financial dealings in his companies. The Kadapa MP will be questioned about the investments he and his companies made abroad and re-routing of the same funds back into his business.

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The CBI has accused Jagan of getting investments into his companies by conspiring with his father and then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to dole out favours to the investors in the form of special economic zones, lands and other concessions.

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The ED has already accessed the first chargesheet and related documents filed by the CBI against Jagan and 12 others in March.

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The ED also reported to have drawn a list of assets of Jagan under PMLA. The attachment orders are likely after Jagan is questioned.

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Jagan, said to be the richest MP in the country, had declared assets of Rs 356 crore at the time of by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat last year.

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Besides CBI and ED, the Income Tax department is also conducting a probe against Jagan. The IT probe began when Jagan deposited an advance tax of Rs 84 crore for April-Sep 2010-11. This was a big jump in IT payment from a mere Rs 2.92 lakh for 2008-09 and Rs 6.72 crore for 2009-10.