ED issues fresh summons to meat exporter Moin Qureshi in money laundering case

New Delhi: The ED has issued fresh summons to controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi for questioning in a money laundering case after he recently managed to go out of the country despite a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him by the agency.The Delhi High Court has stayed the LOC till 16 November and declined to grant him interim protection from arrest. It has also asked him to appear before ED on 22 November.[caption id="attachment_3073744" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Representational image. CNN-News18[/caption]Officials, however, said the Enforcement Directorate has asked Qureshi to report before its Investigating Officer (IO) next week in connection with a criminal case registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).The agency wants to expedite action against him, even as it is understood that the businessman has not returned till now. The officials said while the ED has questioned him in the past, some more recording of his statement is to be done in the said case.Qureshi had managed to leave for Dubai recently after showing a court order obtained in an Income Tax case, and not in the case for which the ED has issued the LOC. The Delhi-based meat exporter was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, based on the ED's LOC on 15 October, and the Immigration department had informed the agency about it.He then presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked for the veracity of the order and allowed him to fly. When the ED team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed he had been allowed to fly on the basis of the court order.Later, the immigration officer realised that the order was in connection with an Income Tax case and not in the ED matter, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry. The ED had registered a case against Qureshi under PMLA last year. He is under the scanner of probe agencies for alleged tax evasion and hawala-like dealings.