CBI quizzes Ibobi for 3 hours
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 24 2020: A team of Central Bureau of Investigation from New Delhi led by a Joint Director today questioned former Chief Minister and present Congress Legislature Party leader Okram Ibobi for around 3 hours at his official quarters located at Babupara in connection with the alleged embezzlement of Rs 332 crore between 2009 and 2017 while he was the Chairman of the Manipur Development Society (MDS) .

It is also learnt that the CBI has called O Nabakishore Singh, retired IAS officer and a former Chief Secretary, for questioning on Thursday.

Nabakishore was the Chairman of MDS from 2015 to 2017 .

The CBI had sent summon letters to the former Chief Minister to appear at their office located at Lamphel for questioning.

CBI quizzes Ibobi for 3 hours

The former Chief Minister however was not able to appear before them at the Lamphel office under the SOPs of the National Disaster Management Act on COVID -19 as he is above 72 years of age and instead met them at his official quarters at Babupara.

The CBI team led by NM Singh, Joint Director, YK Sharma, SP, Sanjaykumar Dhal, Dy SP and Narpat Chand, Sub-Inspector, who arrived at Imphal yesterday along with some officers of CBI Imphal Branch, then went to the official quarters of O Ibobi at around 10.50 am today and quizzed him for about three hours.

The questioning of CBI concluded at around 1.50 pm.

The CBI team did not entertain queries raised by the media persons as they left the residence of the former Chief Minister.

Mention may be made that soon after the formation of BJP led coalition Government in the State, the MDS case was handed over to the CBI.

Other than the former Chief Minister, those named in the case include former Chief Secretaries DS Poonia, PC Lawmkunga and O Nabakishore Singh.

The then Project Director, Y Ningthem Singh, and former Administrative Officer, Ranjit Singh have also been named in the case.

In November last year, the agency had registered the case and searched multiple locations at Gurugram, Aizawl and Imphal, on the day when the Manipur Congress legislators led by the former CM staged a protest in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the Naga Accord.

After the searches, the CBI had claimed to have seized Rs 26.49 lakh in demonetized notes from O Ibobi Singh's premises apart from Rs 11.47 lakh in cash.

Presently some of them against whom the case has been lodged, including former O Ibobi, have been granted absolute bail by the High Court of Manipur in February 2020 .