The former Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Baba Siddique appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in a Rs 400 crore slum rehabilitation project at Bandra reclamation.
The former Maharashtra minister was summoned by the investigating officer (IO) to record his statement in the case and was grilled for over eight hours.
The ED had conducted raids on May 31 at about seven locations in connection with SRA scam including Siddique’s premises, a real estate firm and a builder connected to him.So far, the police have questioned more than 25 people in connection with the scam. “We have recorded Siddique’s statement to understand his role in the project and to verify the claims of complainants. Our probe is on and we may call him again for questioning with certain documents,” said an ED officer.
Based on a FIR at Bandra police station, the ED had recently registered a criminal case under PMLA against Siddique and 157 others.
The Bandra police had registered a FIR in 2014, on directions of a local court, to probe financial irregularities in the slum rehabilitation project in which Siddique is alleged to have been involved. Siddique was the chairman of the Mumbai board of MHADA between 2000-2004.
The case
The case is based on Jamat E Jamuria slum rehabilitation scam near Bandra Reclamation. It was alleged that several slum dwellers forged their document to get rooms in the building constructed.
