Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 12 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday granted four days of custody remand of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohammad Azam Khan in connection with its money-laundering investigation linked to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
He will be brought to Lucknow on Friday for questioning by the agency.
According to the remand order, the ED custody of the accused Mohammad Azam Khan has been granted for four days, from November 12 (4:30 PM) to November 16 (4:30 PM).
The development comes as the federal agency intensifies its investigation into alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent utilisation, including for the creation of assets of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
Earlier, on November 1, ED officials brought Azam Khan to Ghaziabad for production before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
The agency had apprehended the SP leader on October 31, shortly after his release from Rampur district jail. A team from the ED's Lucknow zonal office had reached the jail premises and taken him into custody in connection with the ongoing money-laundering investigation.
Before his apprehension, the ED had questioned Azam Khan on October 13 at Rampur Jail. His statement was recorded as part of the investigation into alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent transfer to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
The investigation follows searches conducted by the ED on August 19 at 10 premises linked to Azam Khan in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The searches were carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and covered locations in Rampur and Saharanpur, including premises associated with the trust and the university.
According to the ED, its investigation had revealed alleged financial transactions between certain contractors and the trust. The agency said contractors who allegedly benefited from government contracts diverted funds towards the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University through substantial donations and construction works.
On October 28, the ED attached the land and building of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The agency put the book value of the attached property at Rs 426 crore, while its estimated current market value was Rs 1,170 crore.
Founded by Azam Khan in 2006, Mohammad Ali Jauhar University is a private university located in Rampur.
Azam Khan, a 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and former Cabinet minister, has been one of the SP's prominent leaders and a long-standing influential political figure in Uttar Pradesh.
He has been lodged in Rampur district jail since November last year following his conviction in a forgery case. He was also sentenced to two years in prison in a case relating to his alleged objectionable remarks about cleaning the shoes of government officials, including the then Collector-cum-District Magistrate, during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. (ANI)
ED grants four-day custody remand of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in money-laundering case
