ED summons AAP's Pankaj Gupta in financial fraud case

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate has issued summon to Aam Aadmi Party national secretary Pankaj Gupta in a money laundering case related to former Punjab AAP leader.

"Gupta has been asked to join the probe next week," said a senior officer of Enforcement Directorate adding that he has been summoned in a money laundering case in which Punjab former AAP MLA and Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira is being probed.

Khaira is being investigated in a money laundering case.

India's premier financial investigative agency -- Enforcement Directorate -- has also taken cognizance of two separate cases relating to drug trafficking and fake passport registered against Khaira.

The ED has alleged that Khaira is an "associate" of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.

The 56-year-old politician has denied any wrongdoing and had said he is being targeted by Central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre's farm laws.

The case against him pertains to the probe in a 2015 Fazilka (Punjab) drugs-smuggling case in which 1,800 gm of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 live cartridges and two Pakistani SIM cards were seized by security agencies from a gang of international drug smugglers.

Khaira earlier was in AAP and it is alleged that approximately US $1,00,000 donation was raised by him on behalf of AAP in the United States.

In March this year, the Enforcement Directorate had carried out raids on the premises of Khaira and a few others in the money laundering case. The searches were carried out at Khaira's residence in Chandigarh, five other locations in Haryana and Punjab and two places in Delhi.

Khaira is a legislator of the Punjab Ekta Party, which he founded in 2019. He is an MLA from Bholath in Kapurthala district.

He was elected to the state Assembly in 2017 on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.

In March, ED assistant director Raja Ram Meena had also summoned Khaira and others under provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Khaira's personal assistant Manish Kumar and his son-in-law Inderveer Singh Johal were also summoned to appear before the ED on March 16.