ED issues fresh summons to Moin Qureshi

Meat exporter had managed to give immigration authorities the slip and flew to Dubai.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday issued fresh summons to the controversial Delhi-based meat exporter Moin Qureshi for questioning in a money laundering case against him.

Qureshi, who was recently detained at the Delhi airport but managed to give immigration authorities the slip and flew to Dubai after showing a court order in an income-tax case, has been asked to appear before the probe agency next week. “The agency wants to expedite action against him, even as it is understood that the businessman has not returned till now. He has been asked to report before the investigating officer (IO) of the ED next week in connection with a criminal case registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)”, sources said.

Sources said while the ED has questioned him in the past, some more recording of his statement is to be done in the said case.

Qureshi had managed to leave for Dubai recently after showing a court order obtained in an income-tax case, and not in the case for which the ED has issued the lookout circular against him. The Delhi-based meat exporter was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, based on the ED’s circular on October 15, and the immigration department had informed the agency about it. He then presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked for the veracity of the order and allowed him to fly.

When the ED team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed he had been allowed to fly on the basis of the court order.

Later, the immigration officer realised that the order was in connection with an income-tax case and not in the ED matter, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case against Qureshi under PMLA last year. He is under the scanner of probe agencies for alleged tax evasion and hawala-like dealings.