Source: orissapost.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bangalore\/New Delhi:<\/strong> Karnataka\u2019s former Congress \nminister DK Shivakumar moved Friday an application in the state High \nCourt for interim protection from arrest by the Enforcement Directorate \n(ED) for his alleged involvement in \u2018hawala\u2019 (illegal) transactions, a \nparty official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShivkumar\u2019s counsel BV Acharya has filed a \nwrit petition in the High Court for an urgent hearing on granting \ninterim protection to him from arrest by the ED in the alleged money \nlaundering case,\u201d Congress party spokesman Ravi Gowda told this agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shivakumar,\n 57, moved the High Court after the ED summoned him to appear Friday \nafternoon before its investigation team in New Delhi in connection with \nthe case filed against him in 2018 for the alleged violation of the \nPrevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DK Shivakumar \ntweeted earlier in the day that the ED had sent him summons Thursday \nnight after the High Court rejected his petition for quashing its \nDecember 2018 order to appear before its investigation team for probing \nthe illegal transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave received summons from ED late \nyesterday (Thursday) night asking me to appear at 1.00 pm today \n(Friday),\u201d tweeted Shivakumar. \u201cAlthough the sudden scheduling by ED is \nmalafide, I believe in (the) rule of law and will definitely participate\n and cooperate with them (it) and abide by the law of our country,\u201d \nadded the former Karnataka Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The alleged money laundering \ncame to light after raids by the tax sleuths August 2, 2017 on \nShivakumar\u2019s flat in New Delhi led to seizure of unaccounted cash worth \nRs 8.59 crore without evidence of its source of income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cases were\n filed against Shivakumar and four others associated with him under \nSections 277 and 278 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Sections 120(B), \n193 and 199 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe judge also \nobserved that it was for the law enforcing agencies like the ED and I-T \nDepartment to ascertain if the offence was in violation of the PMLA and \nthe Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,\u201d an ED official told this \nagency, Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe I-T raid on me was politically motivated \nfor hosting then Gujarat Congress MLAs (at a private resort on the \noutskirts of Bangalore in July-August 2017). As a loyal soldier of (the)\n Congress and a responsible politician, I did what (the) party asked me \nto do (and) for which I have been targetted,\u201d said Shivakumar, \nconsidered to be the party\u2019s trouble-shooter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shivakumar also tweeted that he has full faith in the legal system and will face this (case) legally and politically.<\/p>\n