ED summons Mahua on Feb 19 in FEMA violation case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra in connection with its probe in a case registered against the former Lok Sabha MP under the foreign exchange management act (FEMA), people familiar with the development said on Thursday.
The federal agency has asked Moitra (49), who was expelled from the Lok Sabha in December last year, to appear before it on February 19 in Delhi to record her statement under FEMA.
Officials familiar with the matter said ED has already registered a case under FEMA against her. “We have information about certain foreign transactions including undisclosed ones which are being probed under FEMA. We have asked her to appear on February 19,” one of officers said, requesting anonymity.
While people close to Moitra denied receiving any summons from ED, a text message to the TMC leader seeking her comment did not elicit a response.
Moitra is already being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as part of a preliminary enquiry (PE) in connection with the alleged cash-for-query case. Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who is the original complainant in the CBI matter, has already recorded his statement before the anti-corruption agency.
In September last year, Moitra found herself embroiled in a political row after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the basis of a complaint by Dehadrai, who alleged the TMC leader, who represented Krishnanagar constituency in West Bengal, accepted money and favours to ask questions in Parliament.
On December 8, Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha on the recommendation of the ethics committee of the House.
In November last year, based on a reference by Lokpal — the anti-corruption authority that looks into the complaints against public servants — CBI registered the PE into allegations against Moitra. Earlier this month, the agency also sought the report of the ethics panel from the Lok Sabha secretariat.
Moitra is also likely to be quizzed by CBI soon on the matter, officials said.
As part of the PE, CBI is empowered to examine documents and summon a person for questioning, but cannot carry out searches or make arrests.