Former Indian cricketer and now politician Mohammad Azharuddin has been questioned on money laundering charges by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Hyderabad Cricket Association. They have charged the former president of the HCA for embezzlement of funds when he held office; ₹20 crore, which was earmarked for essential infrastructure at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad’s Uppal area, was allegedly pocketed by him. This is the first time that the Congress leader has been summoned for questioning his controversial involvement in the financial scandal.
Mohammad Azharuddin was asked to come to the ED on Thursday but failed to show up; he just told them he needed more time to reply to the summons. The case is based on groundless spending of funds meant for the purchase of diesel generators, firefighting systems, and canopies.
In November 2023, the ED carried out a massive hunt under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at many places across Telangana. These operations targeted the homes of the major HCA officials such as Gaddam Vinod, Shivlal Yadav, and Arshad Ayub, all of whom used to hold senior posts in the association. The searches revealed digital tools, relevant documents, and unexplained cash totaling ₹ 10,39,710/- has been recovered. For instance, a search showed that Gaddam Vinod’s house was being used as an operational office of different companies owned by Gaddam Vivekanand, a past Member of Parliament.
The ED’s investigation has arisen out of three FIRs filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Hyderabad which accuse HCA of substantial improprieties in respect of the procurement processes linked with its activities. The charge sheets state how the office bearers, in complicity with private parties, fixed and agreed to award contracts to specific favored tenderers at exorbitant prices without following the due process of issuing and conducting competitive tenders as required by law. This culminated in the delayed project, incurred costs, and severe financial losses to the HCA, which was a clear and blatant disregard of fiduciary responsibility by the officials of the association.
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