Ranchi: A special PMLA court on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of former chief minister Hemant Soren till April 4 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, a civil court lawyer familiar with the order said.
“Hemant Soren was produced before the court through video conferencing,” the lawyer said. Soren’s advocate Pradeep Chandra confirmed the order.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief was arrested on January 31 from his residence in an alleged money laundering case linked to the land scam by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED had alleged that Soren purchased 8.12-acre tribal land in a bargain using his illegally earned money.
During the judicial custody of Soren, ED accessed Soren’s Whatsapp chat with his architect friend Vinod Kumar Singh and claimed to have collected vital evidence of his alleged “illegal sources of earnings”.
Soren has contradicted the allegations, saying there is no record suggesting that he had purchased land, adding that the federal agency has falsely implicated him in the case.
While the ED collects evidence against Soren, he is currently lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail.
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