ED to question K’taka MLA Hebbalkar for next few days

NEW DELHI: The ED on Friday again questioned Karnataka Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar in connection with its money-laundering probe against her party colleague and Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar, senior officials here said.

The Enforcement Directorate had summoned Hebbalkar to appear before its officials in Delhi on September

19, when it had recorded her statement in the case, with officials saying that she will be deposed by agency officials for the next couple of days. A senior official added that the Congress MLA is being asked about the appearance of her name in some documents related to companies linked to Shivakumar.

On Thursday, sources in the know had said that Hebbalkar had requested to assist investigators but in Karnataka, which was denied by the financial probe agency.

Before leaving for the Capital, the MLA from Belgavi (Rural) had, in a statement to the local press, said that the case against Shivakumar was a result of political vindictiveness. The ED had aggressively acted in the PMLA probe against Shivakumar, arresting him after four days of questioning, amid a large number of supporters crowding the ED offices.

Probe officials had also interrogated Shivakumar's 22-year-old daughter, Aishwarya, claiming that they needed to ask her questions about a trust company that had been set up in her name.

The ED'S case is based on an I-T department chargesheet that alleges that Shivakumar had connections with hawala operators in Delhi and Bengaluru.