ED summons Geelani, Yasin Malik over money laundering, FEMA cases

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday has summoned Kashmiri separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik for allegedly violating foreign exchange rules.

Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik has been asked to appear before the agency on March 28, while Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, has been summoned on April 3.

The I-T sleuths, who had swooped on residences of Geelani and his family members in 2002 and seized valuable items including a diamond-studded watch gifted by Pakistan Government, had raised a tax demand of over Rs 1.5



crore.

The case dragged on for nearly three years and recently the appeal was dismissed after which he was asked to deposit Rs 1.73 crore as tax liabilities by the end of 2010.

The case has been pending with the I-T department and the ED since then.

It was also found that Yasin Malik, another separatist, had received funding of USD 1 lakh and the money was being carried by a woman called Shazia.

The agencies have been finding it difficult to investigate the cases since important documents were washed away during the 2014 flash floods.