ED summons Lalu Prasad & family in land-for-jobs scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and son Tej Pratap Yadav for questioning in the land-for-jobs money laundering case. Officials have asked Prasad to appear in Patna on Wednesday, while his family members are set to face questioning on Tuesday.

Investigators will record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. However, sources suggest that Prasad and his family may skip the summons. Earlier, ED questioned Prasad and his younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, regarding the case.

Last year, ED filed a chargesheet in a Delhi court, naming Rabri Devi, their daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and others as accused. The investigation focuses on allegations that Prasad, as railway minister from 2004 to 2009, accepted land as bribes in exchange for railway jobs.

CBI had first registered an FIR, accusing Prasad of directing job seekers to transfer land to his family. ED later took up the case under money laundering charges. According to ED, Prasad’s family received land parcels at undervalued prices from the families of job candidates.

The chargesheet also names Hridyanand Chaudhary, a former worker at Rabri Devi’s gaushala, who allegedly acquired a property from one candidate and later transferred it to Hema Yadav.

ED claims that shell companies like A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd. helped launder illicit money. These firms allegedly purchased properties on behalf of Prasad’s family through front men. Later, shares of these companies were transferred to Prasad’s family members for negligible amounts.

ED continues its probe to trace the full extent of the financial transactions and uncover more beneficiaries in the scandal.