Mathew Samuel gets fresh summons in controversial Narada 'sting operation' case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has once again summoned Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel to interrogate him in connection with the sting operation in which several political leaders were featured. Mathew was once summoned earlier and he was supposed to turn up at the office of the central investigating agency in Kolkata on May 18.

But he did not turn up and had informed the ED officials that it was not possible for him to come to its office in Kolkata due to "some health related issues". Thus, the ED has issued him a fresh summons.

Since Mathew had informed about his inability to come to Kolkata for interrogation "due to poor health condition", the ED has asked him to turn up to its office at Kochi in Kerala on May 24. According to a senior ED officer, "he should turn up for the interrogation this time as he is at present in Kochi. A team comprising ED officers from Kolkata will be questioning him."

"Since he is the key person behind the sting operation, we have to record his statement on how he had managed to arrange everything and in what circumstances," the officer said. Sources said that there will also be questions on the source of money used in the sting operation as he had given different statements on the source of money.

Mathew has to come with his personal financial documents that include Income Tax Returns of the last three assessment years and documents related to Narada News. Te CBI had also summoned Mathew to its office in Kolkata on May 16 and in this case as well, he didn't turn up "for health related issues".

According to agencies, Samuel is not an accused in the ED FIR, called the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), and the agency wants to quiz him to get information about the sting and circumstances in which it was carried out. Samuel has been quizzed by the CBI in this case earlier.

The CBI too is probing the case separately on charges of corruption. The agency had registered a criminal compliant in this case last month under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after studying the CBI FIR. It will probe the proceeds of crime generated in this case.

While the CBI's criminal FIR had been registered against 12 TMC leaders and an IPS officer, the ED FIR has been booked against 14 entities that include a category of unidentified persons apart from the 13 in the CBI compliant, they said.