AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan appears before ED in Waqf Board-linked money laundering case

New Delhi: AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board, officials said.

The deposition of the 50-year-old legislator from the Okhla assembly seat comes after the Supreme Court last week refused to entertain his anticipatory bail application in the case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board during his chairmanship. The apex court directed him to join the investigation on April 18.

Speaking to reporters before entering the ED office, Khan claimed he followed the rules when he was the chairman of the Waqf Board and did everything after taking legal opinion and as per the new Act (for the board) that came in 2013, he said.

The money laundering case against Khan stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR and three Delhi Police complaints.

The ED, which had conducted raids on the premises of the legislator, has claimed Khan acquired 'huge proceeds of crime' in cash through illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those to purchase immovable assets in the name of his associates.

The ED had alleged in a statement that 'illegal recruitment' of staff took place in the Waqf Board and 'illegal personal gains' were made by unfairly leasing the Waqf Board properties during Khan's chairmanship (2018-2022).

Khan, the ED said, 'acquired huge proceeds of crime out of the said criminal activities in cash and this cash amount was invested in purchase of various immovable properties in Delhi in the name of his associates.' Several 'incriminating' material in the form of physical and digital evidence were seized during the raids which 'indicated' the Khan's role in money laundering, it had said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had alleged this investigation was among those 'false cases' which were being filed against its party leaders.

The Supreme Court, in its April 15 order where it refused any relief to Khan, had voiced its displeasure over the MLA skipping ED summonses.

"What has happened is this... Repeated summons were issued and you did not appear. That's wrong. How can we condone that?" The bench told his advocate.

The agency filed a chargesheet in this case in January and named four people including three alleged associates of Khan -- Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir and Jawed Imam Siddiqui.