Bhubaneswar: A three member team from the Union ministry of corporate affairs on Tuesday interrogated the BJD's Mayurbhanj MP Rama Chandra Hansdah at Jharapada jail for his alleged links with money deposit collection company Naba Diganta.
Police arrested Hansdah in November 2014 for his alleged involvement in the money laundering scam.
The three-member team interrogated the lawmaker after obtaining permission from the special judge, CBI, Bhubaneswar. Sources said Hansdah was asked about to his involvement with the Ponzi company.
The Ponzi firm registered with the Registrar of Companies, Cuttack, in August 2011 and had allegedly collected investments to the tune of Rs 15 crore from various parts of the state with the promise of higher returns than conventional banking instituions. Hansdah allegedly worked as one of the directors of the company from 2011 to 2013, a period during which the Ponzi company flourished in the state.
The cops had earlier arrested former BJD legislator Subarna Naik and former BJP MLA Hitesh Bagarti along with Hansdah for their alleged links with the Ponzi firm.
The CBI had raided the residences of the three leaders in July 2014 and also seized Rs 28 lakh in cash from Hansdah's home in Mayurbhanj. The MP was arrested after he frequently changed his stance about the cash seized from his residence.
Hansdah's lawyer Gourisankar Pani, however, said he was unaware why the ministry team was interrogating his client.
"I don't find any reason why they are interrogating him after three years of his arrest. He has no role in the fraud," said Pani, who was present during the interrogation, according to the court's order.
Last May, the Court of Special Chief Judicial Magistrate, CBI, had convicted the chairman-cum-managing director of the Ponzi firm, Anjan Kumar Baliarsingh, for cheating gullible investors. The court had sentenced the 40-year-old to three years of imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 15,000. Baliarsingh was convicted after he had pleaded guilty through a written petition to the court.
