By Munish Chandra Pandey: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recorded the statement of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter, Ragini Yadav, in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs in railways scam.

Ragini Yadav appeared before the agency for questioning and her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Earlier in March, during a raid at her residence, jewellery worth lakhs was recovered during searches.

The agency had raided the premises of Ragini Yadav, her sisters Chanda Yadav and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai in March this year.

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The probe agency had on Monday questioned and recorded the statement of Ragini Yadav’s brother and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in this case.

RJD MP Misa Bharti, Lalu Yadav’s daughter, was also questioned by the ED in this case on March 25, the same day Tejashwi Yadav had appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

LAND-FOR-JOBS SCAM

The alleged scam pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister during the UPA government.

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It is alleged by the agencies that during the period 2004-09, various persons were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, the persons concerned transferred their land to the family members of Lalu Prasad, the then minister of railways, and A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd, a beneficiary company in this case.

As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to the family members of Prasad at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI had alleged.

Denying the allegations, Tejashwi Yadav, after the questioning of his parents by the CBI, had told reporters that the then railway minister Prasad had “no powers” to give employment in exchange for favours.

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