Documents Link Farooq to JKCA Scam

 Various documents of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), which found their way to the newspaper offices, electronic new channels and news agencies allegedly provide a peep into the direct link of Dr Farooq Abdullah, union minister of new and renewable energy and president of the association, with the recently exposed multi-crore scam.

However, Dr Abdullah in a statement said he was not involved in the scandal and is very much clean.On March 10, 2012, the branch head of J&K Bank, Khanyar wrote a letter to chairman JKCA, Aslam Goni regarding loan raised against the association deposits amounting to Rs 1.90 crore. The letter reveals, “On the authority of letter issued by honourable president JKCA the loan of Rs1.90 crore was raised against own deposits of the association on July 3, 2008 and proceeds whereof were credited to current account No 90605 of Mr Ahsan Mirza maintained with our business unit.”

Till yesterday, the official stand of JKCA was that Mirza had diverted the money of JKCA to his accounts on his own and subsequently a case was registered against him and the former chief administrative officer Saleem Khan for misappropriation of funds by the police on the complaint lodged by Aslam Goni. But after the exposure of the bank branch head’s letter, Dr Abdullah besides defending himself came to rescue of Ahsan Mirza saying it was he, who provided money to JKCA when it was in financial crisis due to a court directive and JKCA had to pay back the loan money to him.
Interestingly when the state high court had stayed the appointment of Honourary Treasurer in 2006, Ahsan Mirza, ex-treasure was authorised to continue to function as Honourary Treasurer of the association and operate bank accounts along with other officials.

The bank statements related to JKCA accounts reveal as how ruthlessly the money was withdrawn on regular basis. At the Khanyar branch of the J&K bank, huge amount of money was withdrawn regularly from the Account No: ...9060  by the officials of JKCA. Rs five lakh were withdrawn on April 5, 2009, Rs three lakh on September 16, 2009, Rs 4.30 lakh on September 25, 2009, Rs four lakh on September 29, 2009, Rs three lakh on October 1, 2009, Rs five lakh on October 14, 2009, Rs five lakh on October 15, 2009, Rs five lakh on October 19, 2009, Rs one lakh on October 21, 2009, Rs five lakh on January 8, 2010, Rs five lakh on January 1, 2010, Rs 10 lakh on March 8, 2010 and Rs 10 lakh on March 9, 2010. The money was withdrawn in a similar fashion on other dates also.

With Dr Abdullah in the midst of crisis, he today issued a statement through JKCA. He claimed that media is carrying the news that he authorized a loan to Ahsan Ahmad Mirza the then treasurer of the Association. He clarified that when the accounts of the JKCA were sealed by the Court, no money was available to run the day to day affairs of the Association. “Shri Ahsan Ahmad Mirza treasurer of the Association advanced interest free loans from time to time for running of the affairs to JKCA from his own personal funds which had accumulated to Rs. 1.90 crores.
On June 28, 2008, the JKCA unanimously resolved that the interest free loan of Rupees One Crore Ninety Lacs only raised by the JKCA from Ahsan Ahmad Mirza has to be repaid. As such it was unanimously resolved by JKCA that J&K Bank branch Khanyar be authorized to raise a loan of an amount of Rs. 1.90 crores against two cash certificates of JKCA with the J&K Bank Air Cargo Branch bearing No. 2587618 and 2587619 amounting to Rs, 1,07,39416 each,” Dr Abdullah said.
The president of JKCA added that it was further resolved that the amount of Rs. 1.90 crores so raised be transferred to Account No. 90605 of Ahsan Ahmad Mirza to liquidate the loan amount he (Ahsan Ahmad Mirza) had advanced to the Association from time to time. “The Association further resolved that the loan so raised will be liquidated by the Association. (A copy of the said resolution which was forwarded to the J&K Bank is enclosed),” he said.
Dr. Abdullah said that it was clear that he did not authorize any loan in his individual capacity and the loan raised was on the basis of a unanimous resolution of the JKCA passed by the JKCA Governing Body and the same was done to square up the borrowings of JKCA which was all properly documented.
“So far as the happenings after 2008 are concerned, the JKCA has already lodged an FIR and the J&K Police which has seized the documents will conduct a detailed investigation and the law shall take its own course. Whosoever is found guilty will have to face the consequences as per law,” he said.

The president of J&KCA said that by making preferred leaks to the media and by not putting all the facts in the public domain certain forces are trying to make an unsuccessful attempt to tarnish his image for political mileage knowing well that he is absolutely clean. He said that he was open to any scrutiny for his conduct as President of the JKCA.
He said that he has also requested the BCCI to depute its auditors who can sit with the auditors of the JKCA and conduct a joint audit of the accounts to know the facts. Dr. Abdullah said that JKCA was in fact the whistle blower in the case when certain facts were brought to his notice and this tirade against him was baseless and frivolous.
Despite the statement of Dr Abdullah, it is a known fact that Ahsan Mirza is closely associated with him and so is Saleem Khan. It was because of his personal rapport with them that the latter got entry into J&KCA. If JKCA was really a whistle blower why it observed silence over the scandal since long.

As per documents, there were three accounts of the JKCA that were being operated by Mirza and Khan who were treasurer and general secretary between 2008 and 2011. Why these three accounts were not mentioned in the audit report 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 of the JKCA.

Interestingly, one of the three accounts, CD-I, 90606, was opened at Khanyar branch of J&K Bank on June 21, 2008, the day Ahsan Mirza opened a personal account CD-90605 in the same branch.

The two accused operated the account CD-90606 till May 3, 2011 and a new account, CD 91022 was opened on the same day in the same branch of the bank. Interestingly, no plausible reason has been given for doing so or what was the urgency in opening a new account instead of carrying out the transactions in the old account.

As per the documents the CD-90606 account was opened with Rs 10,000 and Rs 7.2 crore was deposited in it on February 19, 2009 through bank transfer from account 010126650-1198 and same day it was kept as fixed deposit by the JKCA. On May 4, 2009 first cheque bearing number 19400001 of Rs five lakh was issued in favour of self by Mirza and Khan.

According to bank statements, for next three years, an amount of Rs 13.29 crore of BCCI was credited and then debited from the account before it was closed last year. Maximum amount was drawn in favour of Ahsan Mirza and self -Mirza and Khan. No reasons have been and explanation given for withdrawal of huge amounts of money in cash.

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Farooq rejects JKCA Scam allegations

Union Minister Farooq Abdullah today rejected as unfortunate allegations of his involvement in the multi-crore J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) scam, an issue which also rocked the state Assembly.

"I have not taken a penny in any form from JKCA. There is no question of any money being bungled. The tarnishing of my image is unfortunate," Farooq, who heads the JKCA, told reporters in Delhi, breaking his silence on the allegations that there was bungling of funds received by the state cricket body from the BCCI.

The assertion by Farooq, who heads the JKCA, came on a day when opposition PDP raised the scam issue in the state Assembly demanding a CBI probe into alleged bungling of funds and gave a notice for an adjournment motion to enable an immediate discussion.

The notice was however rejected by Assembly Speaker Mohmmad Akbar Lone amid pandemonium with PDP members raising anti-government slogans following up with a walkout.

J&K Police on Saturday registered a case against two former officials of JKCA following allegations of misappropriation of funds, received by the body from the BCCI.

The case was registered against the then treasurer Ehsan Mirza and then General Secretary Mohammad Saleem Khan based on the complaint lodged by JKCA chairman Mohammad Aslam Goni.

After PDP members staged a walkout from the Assembly, its leader Mehbooba Mufti demanded that an FIR be lodged against Farooq.

"We demand a CBI probe in multi-crore scam in JKCA headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah as was done in case of Suresh Kalmadi. An FIR should be lodged against him", Mehbooba told reporters outside the Assembly complex in Jammu.

Mehbooba, who along with other members of PDP were sitting on stairs leading to Assembly complex and raising anti-government slogans, said "we want Centre to take cognizance of the multi-crore scam invovling Farooq and take same measures as they did to their Chief Ministers and Ministers in connection with allegations against them".

Reacting to Mehbooba's allegations against him, Farooq said she should check facts before making charges.

"I am too clean for Mehbooba Mufti to rub dirt on me," he said, adding, "law will take its own course." The Union Minister reiterated there was no embezzlement of any funds.

As Assembly proceedings began this morning, PDP legislators led by Mehbooba, who is also Leader of Opposition, raised the issue of alleged financial bungling in JKCA.

Javaid Mir and A R Veeri sought adjournment of the Business of the question hour and holding of a debate.

Speaker Lone said he has rejected the adjournment notice as the issue raised in it has already come up in the House.

The members stood up from their benches and resorted to sloganeering against the state government.

Even as the question hour continued amid noisy scenes, there was no let up in slogan shouting by PDP members.

Mehbooba alleged that it was Farooq as President of JKCA who wrote to Bank to facilitate transitions. "He cannot make someone scape-goat and allow himself to go scot-free," she said.

However, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minsiter Ali Mohmmad Sagar told reporters that PDP wants to rake up the issue for political gains.

"When an FIR has been lodged on the direction of Dr Abdullah himself, how is that they reach to conclusions", he said, asking PDP how it has reached the conclusion to allege there was a "Rs 50 Crore embezzlement."

The embezzlement of several crores of rupees was detected in JKCA funds a few days ago, following which the then treasurer Ehsan Mirza and former general secretary and current Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Saleem Khan were sacked from the JKCA.

In a letter to JKCA chairman Mohammad Aslam Goni on Saturday, the Khanyar branch manager of JK Bank wrote that an amount of Rs 1.90 crore has been credited to the account of Mirza based on the authority letter allegedly issued by the JKCA President.

Farooq said this amount was released following a resolution passed by JKCA to allow work of the association to go on.

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Farooq fake Twitter account off net

The fake Twitter account of Union Minister Farooq Abdullah today went off from the micro-blogging site with its discreet author apologising to the minister in a goodbye message.

This came a day after the Minister for New and Renewable Energy registered a police complaint against unknown persons for opening a fake Twitter account in his name and posting "some objectionable, indecorous and intemperate things" on the networking site.

Apparently facing the heat of law enforcement agencies, the author of the account made two entries in his final messages apologising to the Union Minister and his family for inconvenience caused by him.

"I had no intention, whatsoever, to tarnish the image of Mr Abdullah or to cause any harm to his image. This account was purely meant for fun," the anonymous author said.

Within minutes after posting the final two tweets past 1 PM, the page was off the micro-blogging site. However, police said that they would be able to trace the account at the earliest and bring the case to its logical conclusion.

The Minister had yesterday clarified that he had never opened any such account nor has authorised anyone to do it on his behalf.

"A complaint in this regard has already been lodged with Delhi Police with the request to initiate immediate probe in this regard," the spokesperson said.

Abdullah has expressed his anguish at "such misuse of social networking sites by unscrupulous elements which are otherwise a boon for spreading information and freedom of expression."

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Farooq slams Makens comments

Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today took exception to Sports Minister Ajay Maken’s remarks on Union Cabinet’s "internal deliberations" on the National Sports Development Bill, accusing him of violating oath of secrecy.

"No Minister has the right to brief about internal deliberations of the Cabinet until and unless decided by the Cabinet as it is the violation of the oath of secrecy," Abdullah, who is the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, told.

Abdullah said Maken should look at the stadia which are under his control and ensure their good upkeep so that athletes get a chance to compete at international level.

"He has violated the secrecy clause of the Cabinet and we will take it up deliberately at the next Cabinet meeting," said the Minister who was present in the Cabinet meeting where the draft of bill presented by the Sports Minister was rejected.

The Minister also told a TV channel that there was nobody who was against RTI.

"There is nobody who is against RTI. None of us. I think Ajay Maken should realise that whatever happens in meeting cannot be discussed outside. What kind of Minister is he? We are not against RTI. What is there to hide. They (BCCI) are not getting any money from Government of India at all. So what sort of thing is he asking," he said.

He, however, added that he did not wish to take up the matter with the Prime Minister.

The Bill presented by Maken aimed at putting a age cap of 70 years for the heads of the sports bodies and also put them under the ambit of the Right to Information Act thus bringing more transparency in their affairs.

The Bill in the present form however was rejected during the Cabinet meeting attended by several Ministers who have interests in the management of the sports and Maken was asked to come with a different draft of the Bill.

Maken had said the condition to bring sports bodies under the RTI Act will remain in the new draft as well.

"I am sorry whatever he says. I am sad about it. The way he goes around saying it is in the national interest. Thats all I heard. We are not against national interest. Let that be known to Mr Maken...New bill will come, we will look into the bill and after that Cabinet will decide," Abdullah said.