There’s more trouble in store for former top bureaucrat and retired IAS officer, Mohinder Singh, as he failed to appear even on the second summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Singh had to appear before the agency at its Lucknow office on Saturday. In addition, the UP vigilance department had also issued summons to him earlier this week for questioning over his alleged disproportionate assets exposed during the ED search at his Chandigarh residence in September.
On September 17 and 18, the ED had carried out searches at his Chandigarh residence and others in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case in connection with the fraud committed by a Noida private construction company, its promoters and directors and related entities, as well as persons who had defrauded homebuyers of ‘Lotus 300’ projects to the tune of ₹426 crore.
The retired IAS officer was the CEO of Noida Authority, during the Bahujan Samaj Party government between 2007 and 2012, when the private builder was given the nod for the project. He was one of the IAS officers, who enjoyed immense clout during the BSP regime in the state.
A senior ED official confirmed that the retired IAS officer neither turned up nor was any communication made from his side. He said this happened for the second time as he was earlier issued summons to appear at the ED Lucknow office on September 25.
{{/usCountry}}A senior ED official confirmed that the retired IAS officer neither turned up nor was any communication made from his side. He said this happened for the second time as he was earlier issued summons to appear at the ED Lucknow office on September 25.
{{/usCountry}}“The vigilance department has also issued summons to him to initiate investigation into his alleged disproportionate assets as per the recovery made from his house during ED searches,” said a vigilance official and added, “The FIR of disproportionate assets is likely to be registered against him soon in the matter”.
The ED had initiated investigations based on the directions of the Allahabad high court in 2019 and based on multiple FIRs registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), New Delhi, against M/s Hacienda Projects Pvt Ltd, its director, officials and others.
The ED official said the building firm was accused of diverting and siphoning off the hard-earned money of investors and home buyers and ultimately not providing the promised flats. During the recent search in the case, the ED had recovered cash as well as diamond and gold jewellery worth ₹42.56 crore at 18 locations in UP, Delhi, Chandigarh and Goa.