MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE: FRESH ED SUMMONS FOR NARADA CEO

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate issued fresh summons to Narada news chief executive officer Mathew Samuel in its money laundering probe, initiated after a sting operation purportedly showed several TMC leaders, including MPs and ministers, taking money.

Samuel was first summoned by the probe agency to depose on May 18 at its office here.

However, officials said that he informed the agency that he would not be able to appear in person due to some medical condition and requested them to question him at his present location in Kerala. Samuel has been asked to meet the investigating officer (IO) of the case on May 24 at its office in Kochi in Kerala, officials said.

The ED has asked him to carry along documents relating to his personal finances, those of the news channel and material related to the purported sting operation, they said.

Samuel is not an accused in the ED FIR, called the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), and the agency wants to quiz him to get information about the sting and circumstances in which it was carried out. Samuel has been quizzed by CBI in this case.

CBI is also probing the case separately on charges of corruption. The agency had registered a criminal complaint in this case last month under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after studying the CBI FIR.