Enforcement Directorate quizzes Firhad Hakim on Narada

Kolkata: State urban development minister Firhad Hakim was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday as he appeared before the central agency in the Narada sting operation case. He had recently been summoned by the ED. 

Mr Hakim was among the dozen Trinamul Congress leaders who have been booked by the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation in separate cases. 

Unlike others, he was not seen accepting cash in lieu of favours in the sting tapes recorded by Narada CEO Mathew Samuel. He was caught referring to hand over the money to one of his aides. At around 2.15 pm, he walked into the ED office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake. 

The heavyweight Kolkata Port MLA was grilled for several hours and his statement was recorded by the ED. It was at evening that he was allowed to go. Giving himself a clean chit, he claimed that he was not involved in any illegal activity. “We are all victims of a conspiracy,” Mr Hakim alleged. According to him, he came to extend his cooperation to the ED as he has faith in the judiciary. 

Mr Hakim was the second Trinamul MLA to be questioned by the ED, which has again summoned his Cabinet colleagues Sovan Chatterjee, the fire minister and Kolkata mayor on Thursday, Subrata Mukherjee, panchayat minister on August 11 and Subhendu Adhikary, the transport minister on August 22.