ED files 5000-page charge sheet against IAS officer Pooja Singhal in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a 5000-page charge sheet in connection with MGNREGA fund scam involving suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal and others before a special Jharkhand court.

Based on documentary evidence, statements, bank transactions and few digital evidence, the ED has named Singhal, mining officials and others as accused in the charge sheet.

This is the first charge sheet running over 5000 pages in the matter.

Allowing the charge sheet, the court fixed the matter for the next date of hearing.

Singhal, the mining secretary in Jharkhand, was dismissed from her post soon after her arrest in the matter.

In May, the ED grilled Ravi Kejriwal, the former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) treasurer in this connection.

The ED had scanned last three years transactions of Singhal to check the suspicious money trail if any. Documents of all her properties were also scanned.

Earlier, four cars belonging to Singhal's charted accountant Suman Kumar were seized. The source said that someone else had made the payments for luxury cars, which was suspicious. A few incriminating documents were also recovered by the central agency.

During the investigation, the ED had recovered Rs 19 crore in cash said to be Singhal's money.

Statements of Singhal and her husband have been recorded in the matter.