ED summons Narada CEO again, asks him to appear on 24 May

The Enforcement Directorate (EC) on 20 may summoned Narada News Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mathew Samuel and asked him to appear at the Kochi ED office on May 24, in connection with the Narada sting probe.

This is the second ED summons to Samuel, as he was issued a notice on 18 may as well.

Earlier this week, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also summoned Samuel for the second time in connection with money laundering sting operation.

Mathew, however, said he won't be able to appear as he recently undergone surgery.

The ED filed its case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after the CBI filed its case.

The sting operation pertains to the secret filming of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and an IPS officer while they were allegedly accepting money from representatives of a fictitious company in return for extending favours to it.

TMC leaders against whom the CBI has registered cases, now also booked by the Enforcement Directorate, include Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy, Lok Sabha MPs Saugata Roy, Aparupa Poddar, Sultan Ahmed, Prasun Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.

West Bengal ministers, including Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Environment Minister Sovan Chatterjee, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee have also been named in the FIR.

Former Minister Madan Mitra, MLA Iqbal Ahmed and IPS officer Saiyaad Mustafa Hussain Mirza have also been made accused in the case.

Samuel had earlier released three sets of videos of the sting operation, where top TMC leaders were allegedly seen accepting bribes from journalists posing as businessmen.

The ruling party had dismissed the allegation citing that the tapes are 'doctored'.

The sting operation video was released by the portal on March 14, 2016, just ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

-ANI