ED questions Rabri Devi, Tej Pratap; summons Lalu Yadav

PATNA/ NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her son Tej Pratap Yadav while issuing summons to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav asking him to appear before it on Wednesday in its money laundering probe into land-for-jobs case, which dates back to 2004-09 when he was the Union railways minister, people familiar with the development said.

The quizzing, held separately, lasted four hours. Rabri, along with his elder daughter Dr Misa Bharti, MP from Pataliputra, reached the ED’s office in Patna at around 10am. Within two years Rabri reached the ED office second time for questioning. While Rabri Devi came out of the ED office at around 2 pm, Tej Pratap, who was quizzed for the first time in this case in Patna came out at 5 pm. He reached the ED’s office separately at 1 pm.

Earlier on May 18, 2023, the ED has questioned Rabri Devi, Misa and his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav were also been questioned in the case by the ED.

Even though Lalu and his family members have already been charge-sheeted in the case, ED officials said fresh round of questioning was planned as there were certain additional facts in the case that need to be verified.

A large number of RJD supporters reached the ED office in Patna on Tuesday and raised slogans in favour of Yadavs.

The ED’s case stems from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over malpractices in railway recruitment during 2004-09, when Lalu Prasad was the railways minister in the UPA-1 government.

It is alleged that appointment of substitutes in Group-D jobs was done in the railways during 2004-09 (when Lalu Yadav was Union railways minister), violating the recruitment norms and procedures of the Indian Railways. The candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad at discounted rates of up to one-fourth to one-fifth of prevailing market rates.

Lalu Prasad, according to investigators, along with officers of Railways, his family members and others, engaged candidates as Group D substitutes in 11 zones of Indian Railways in complete violation of the extant guidelines in lieu of transfer of land by the candidate himself/by family members and/or by submitting fake educational certificates.

Both the agencies have filed several charge sheets in the case and have also obtained prosecution sanction against the RJD leader from relevant authorities.

In its charge sheet filed in August 2024 under prevention of money laundering act or PMLA, ED has alleged that a company AK Infosystems was incorporated by Lalu Yadav through his close aide Amit Katyal with a purpose to hold several land parcels in Patna.

Once the land parcels were acquired, Katyal transferred 100% of shareholding of the company to Rabri Devi (85%) and Tejashwi Yadav (15%) on June 13, 2014, thereby making them the absolute owners of the land parcels held by the company.

“AK Infosystems, with all its underlying assets of book value amount of ₹1.89 crore, was transferred to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, against a meagre amount of ₹1 lakh. It is worthwhile to mention that market value of assets of AK Infosystems as on June 13, 2014, was ₹63 crore as per valuation proceedings conducted by ED,” the agency added.

The financial crimes probe agency claims to have found Bihar’s leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav’s link with another company, AB Exports Pvt Ltd (ABEPL), which is also controlled by Lalu Prasad’s family.

The ED says Tejashwi Yadav owns 98.25% stake in the company while his sister Chanda Yadav owns 1.75% stake in it.

It has alleged in the charge sheet that ABEPL purchased a residential property, a bungalow, D-1088 at New Friends Colony, in 2007 for ₹5 crore using optionally fully convertible debentures from five shell companies.

In a press statement in March 2023, ED claimed that the present market value of this bungalow is ₹150 crore.

Apart from Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and Katyal, ED has named Lalu Prasad’s daughters, Hema Yadav and Misha Bharti as well in the two charge sheets filed in the case so far.

The first charge sheet under PMLA was filed in January 2024, which stated that Lalu Prasad and his family members acquired separate land parcels from the candidates who were given jobs in the railways with a purpose to “consolidate” the land already owned by the family to increase the size of overall landholding and increase its desirability in the real estate market.

On January 29, 2024 the ED questioned Lalu Prasad Yadav for 10 hours in Patna. “Lalu’s and his kin statements are to be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The fresh round of questioning was necessitated due to some “additional facts” emerging in the case ,” said an official, familiar with the matter.

The political implications have stirred debates over the use of central agencies during upcoming state elections, further intensifying the political scene in Bihar.

The questioning triggered protests by RJD supporters outside the ED office, who alleged that this was a vindictive action against Rabri Devi at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to stop her campaigning for the upcoming Assembly election. The RJD workers were seen chanting slogans in favour of the Rabri and Tej Pratap against the BJP government as their cars inched towards the ED office.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, RJD leader and MLC Sunil Singh said, “This is not a new thing. Whenever any agency calls our leaders, we go there and cooperate with them and answer their questions”.

“It is now obvious that the BJP unleashes central agencies on its opponents whenever it has to face an election in a state. We saw it in Jharkhand and Delhi. Now it is being seen in Bihar,” RJD spokesman Ejaz Ahmed said.

Following the ED summons Rabri Devi stated, “The central and state governments are deliberately harassing us. Such cases are always raised before elections. I have full faith in the judiciary.”