Mohammed Azharuddin appears before ED in Hyderabad in money laundering case

Former Indian men’s cricket team captain and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Hyderabad in relation to a money laundering case, PTI reported on October 8 citing officials.
Azharuddin (61) was questioned by the ED about his role during his tenure as President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), these sources said. His statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added.
The former Indian sportsman did not immediately respond to queries, PTI added.
Telangana police registered the case last year and Azharuddin had then claimed that the allegations were “false” and “motivated” and it was “just a stunt” pulled by his rivals to ruin his reputation.
Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, Azharuddin reached the ED office on Fateh Maidan Road around 11 am on October 8 along with his legal team.
The case is related to alleged financial irregularities in the HCA, official sources told PTI. The ED had conducted searches in connection with the irregularities in November 2023.
The money laundering case stems from three FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with alleged criminal misappropriation of funds of the HCA to the tune of ₹20 crore.
One such police FIR was registered on the complaint of the HCA Chief Executive Officer Suneel Kante Bose after a forensic audit (interim report) found that certain transactions done on behalf of the HCA with third-party vendors were found to be “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, firefighting 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/contractors at 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 former cricketer is a Padma Shri and Arjuna Award recipient. He began his political innings with a win from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009. He is also a working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
(With inputs from PTI)