Bhubaneswar, Aug. 29: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today grilled BJD legislator from Banki Pravat Tripathy for more than four hours for the MLA's alleged links with the sham money deposit collection company Artha Tatwa (AT) Group.

Sources said Tripathy, a four-time MLA, was asked about his financial transactions with the Ponzi firm.

He was arrested on October 3, 2014 for his alleged links with Artha Tatwa and later released on bail in March 2015.

Tripathy, however, said the ED had sought documents related to bank transactions and that he submitted the same.

"I have also provided the details of my movable and immovable properties to the ED. I was also asked to provide the bank statement for this fiscal, and I sought 10 days to comply," said Tripathy after coming out of the Enforcement Directorate's office.

In December last year, the ED had attached properties worth Rs 23 crore from the firm. So far, the ED has attached properties worth Rs 107 crore of the fraudulent company. The group had allegedly swindled Rs 1,200 crore from thousands of investors across the state.

In 2010, the company had started collecting huge investments promising high returns of 15 to 20 per cent.

The charge sheet, filed by the CBI against the AT Group, had mentioned Tripathy, also former president of the Odisha State Co-operative Union, of receiving Rs 42 lakh in cash for patronising AT Group chief Pradeep Sethy to run his illegal business.

The CBI charge sheet, too, had accused Tripathy of playing an instrumental role in awarding Sethy as the Best Youth Co-operator by the co-operative union within 15 days of registration of Artha Tatwa Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd and Sethy of utilising the award to gain the investors' confidence and motivate them to invest money in the group.

The central agency had accused Tripathy of asking Sethy to finance Banki Mahotsav in his constituency.