Farooq Abdullah. (TOI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned on Wednesday former J&K chief minister and National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah on charges of alleged money laundering and embezzlement of more than Rs 100 crore of J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) of which he was the president.

He was grilled by the ED at its Chandigarh office in connection with misappropriation of Rs 112 crore the JKCA had received from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Sources said JKCA received this amount from BCCI between 2002 and 2011. Abdullah "appointed" one of his associates, Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, as "treasurer" in 2003 and allegedly laundered the money through him, sources claimed.

Abdullah could not be reached for his reaction. The ED probe found that Abdullah was helped by a senior official of J&K Bank to facilitate opening of multiple accounts of JKCA in the bank and also personal accounts of Mirza in which JKCA funds were "illegally" transferred.

The bank executive opened the account of JKCA in J&K Bank - without requisite documents - at Mirza's request, sources said. The JKCA also raised loans of Rs 7.66 crore without proper documents, such as the JKCA board resolution. Mirza opened multiple accounts for JKCA, raised loans and siphoned off the proceeds using his personal accounts.

Mirza, according to the ED investigation, was not elected as JKCA treasurer and was given the "responsibility" by Abdullah illegally, merely to swindle the funds. After Abdullah brought in Mirza as "treasurer", the latter operated all bank accounts of JKCA "without authorization and illegally" till 2009.

In 2012, Manzoor Ahmad Wazir was elected JKCA treasurer who reported the mismatch in bank balance and audited accounts of JKCA and alleged misappropriation of funds by Mirza. According to documents seized by ED, it was found that Abdullah and his then general secretary Salim Khan transferred Rs 1.90 crore through a resolution into the personal account of Mirza in 2008.

When the misappropriation of funds was pointed out in 2012 by Wazir, Abdullah, the then JKCA president, called a meeting of office-bearers and a written statement was taken from Mirza who agreed to "square up the accounts" by paying the shortfall in the bank accounts.

