Jharkhand: ED Raids Chief Minister Hemant Soren's Press Advisor In Money Laundering Probe

In the midst of an ongoing money laundering investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) executed searches at 12 locations, including the residence of Abhishek Prasad, the press advisor to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The ED's actions came on the heels of Chief Minister Soren reportedly ignoring multiple summons issued by the agency.

In response to the latest summons, Soren asserted that he had already furnished all details of his properties and deemed the summons as illegal.

With the issuance of the seventh summons, Chief Minister Soren was urged to specify a suitable date, time, and location for questioning.

However, he missed the response deadline, submitting his reply two days later and alleging a biased investigation by the ED.

The agency underscored that this marked the final opportunity for Soren to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED had initially summoned Chief Minister Hemant Soren in mid-August concerning a land "scam" case.

Subsequent summonses were issued on 24 August , 9 September, 23 September, 4 October, and 12 December.

Meanwhile, despite the ongoing investigation, Soren dismissed speculations about his wife, Kalpana Soren, succeeding him as Chief Minister, attributing such rumors to the imagination of the BJP.