New Delhi: Fresh trouble seems to be brewing for former Indian cricket team captain and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Azharuddin was summoned by the agency for questioning in a case related to financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).
As per news agency PTI, Azharuddin’s tenure as the president of the HCA is currently under scanner amid the ongoing investigation. Azharuddin was appointed as the president of the HCA in 2019 and his controversial reign came to an end in February last year after the Supreme Court appointed retired SC judge L Nageswara Rao to ensure fresh and fair elections in the cricket body.
Jaganmohan Rao was elected as the new President of HCA in October last year after Azharuddin stepped down from his post. As per PTI, Azharuddin was initially asked to depose before the ED on October 03. However, the cricketer-turned-politician sought deferment of the notice and asked for a fresh date. He was then called for questioning on Tuesday, October 08.
Azharuddin reached the ED office in Hyderabad accompanied by his legal team on Tuesday where his statement was recorded in the money laundering case. ED launched an investigation into the money laundering case after the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau registered three FIRs and chargesheets in the alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 20 crore in the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
What is the money laundering case?
Azharuddin was questioned in a case related to alleged financial irregularities in the HCA during his tenure as president of the cricketing body. There was a misappropriation of funds up to Rs 20 crore in connection with the procurement of new power generators, fire-fighting systems and canopies for the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad’s Uppal, which also serves as the head office of the HCA.
Azharuddin, who is not new to controversies, had a troubled tenure as the HCA president with allegations of corruption against him. Some members of the HCA had also accused the former India captain of taking unilateral decisions during his reign which ultimately led to his removal from the post by an Apex Council of the HCA in June 2021 only to be reinstated.
Azharuddin had earlier denied all the charges levelled against him by the Telangana Police and the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau, stating that the allegations are ‘false’ and ‘motivated.
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday in a money laundering case linked to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
