BENGALURU: In what could be a major embarrassment to the Congress-JD(S) coalition government that has sought to distance itself from the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued a summons to Food and Civil Supplies Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan in connection with the financial fraud that has robbed some 20,000 or more of their savings.
The summons was issued after a financial transaction between IMA Group Managing Director Mohammad Mansoor Khan, who is still at large, and Zameer Ahmed was unearthed during the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The ED has summoned the minister to appear before it in July. The ED officials, however, had a tough time handing over the notice to the minister as they were made to wait for hours outside his residence. Earlier, ED had also issued a summons to Mansoor Khan to appear before it on June 24.
But Mansoor, who is absconding, failed to appear before ED.
My transactions legal: Zameer Ahmed Khan
After the summons was issued against him, Mr Zameer Ahmed Khan, Minister for Haj and Minority Welfare confirmed that he had been summoned on July 5.
"Yes, the ED officials came to my house. From my side, the case is very clear, I sold property worth Rs 9.38 crore to him in a legal transaction, and so I don't have to worry much about it. Whenever the ED or any investigation agency wants me to appear before them and provide material to prove that my transaction is legal, I am ready for it. I am going to the ED office on July 5, as they asked me to come on that date. I am appealing once again to Mansoor Khan to return and sort this out. I have not received any notice from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state. I have myself demanded a CBI inquiry into this scam if poor investors' money is not returned to them."
