Ranchi, February 7: A special PMLA court on Wednesday extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand of former chief minister Hemant Soren by five days in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, lawyers said.
Soren, JMM executive president, on February 2 was remanded to five days’ ED custody by the special PMLA (The Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court which ended on Wednesday.
“The ED had prayed for seven days of remand which we objected saying no further remand is required because he has already been interrogated for eight hours on January 20 and another eight hours on January 31,” Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, who appeared for Soren, told reporters.
Apart from that, he has already been interrogated for 120 hours in five days.
“So, there is no need for any further remand. But they have tried to expand this scope of investigation beyond the predicate offence matter. We have been saying that they (ED) have no power and jurisdiction to investigate anything beyond the predicate offence,” the AG said.
The FIR has been lodged in connection with 8.5 acres of land which is there in the schedule offence, he added.
