N Srinivasan questioned before ED regarding transfer BCCI’s transfer of Rs253 crore

The amount had been transferred to Cricket South Africa (CSA) in 2009 to host the second season of IPL without obtaining prior permission of the Reserve Bank of India.

Former BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) official and then-secretary, N Srinivasan, and treasurer of the board, MP Pandove, were cross examined separately by the lawyer of former IPL (Indian Premier League) chairman Lalit Modi before the joint director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with an alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management ACT.

Former BCCI official N Srinivasan (HT file photo)

The allegation pertains to the transfer of Rs253.45 crore to Cricket South Africa (CSA) by the BCCI in 2009 to host the second season of IPL without obtaining prior permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Pandove was the first to be cross-examined, while Srinivasan, who showed up at the ED office at around 2.30pm was questioned for about three hours. Following his cross-examination, Srinivasan told HT, “I do not want to comment on anything.”

Modi’s counsel, Mehmood Abidi, claimed that Srinivasan feigned ignorance and conveyed to the adjudicating authority that it was not him, but the President, Shashank Manohar, and the treasurer, Pandova, of the board who were responsible for overall management and the financial operations respectively.

Manohar, during his cross examination last week, had stated that it was the duty of the then-secretary and treasurer to give effect to the resolutions passed by the working committee of the board, Abidi said.

Pandove, according to Abidi, said that it was Srinivasan’s decision to not seek RBI approval, while agreeing that the BCCI Secretary is the chief executive of the BCCI. ED officials were unavailable for comment.

Prior to Srinivasan and Pandya, a string of former BCCI office-bearers and IPL honchos appeared before the special director of ED, after the high court in February accepted a plea by Modi to cross-examine officials of the BCCI.