Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, who is facing money laundering charges, continued to remain in hospital on Saturday as he has a stomach upset.
“The doctors will take a decision tomorrow or the day after about his discharge,” Public Relations officer of the Abdur Razzak Weavers Memorial Hospital, Javed Akhtar said.
Mr. Koda got himself admitted to the hospital on complaints of stomach pain on November 3 after the launch of Income Tax raids on his residence in connection with alleged hawala transactions and illegal investments amounting to Rs. 2000 crore.
The Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department have instructed the hospital to inform them before his discharge. A close aide of Koda, Vikas Sinha, was arrested in connection with the case on Friday.
‘He is innocent’
Geeta Koda, wife of Mr. Koda, on Saturday claimed that he was innocent.
“I know Mr. Koda is totally innocent and he has no involvement in the alleged scam. Nothing has been recovered from our house and I have full faith in judiciary,” Ms. Geeta told a local TV channel.
When asked about the names of certain leaders doing the rounds in connection with the alleged scam, she said, “he is a political figure and he has contacts with so many politicians, so how can I comment on this?” She also said she was not aware of reports of IT officials seizing a diary during the searches.
“I cannot say now what I will do,” she said, when asked about her future course of action. “For the time being, let the investigation go on... I have full faith in them and whatever they are doing. Let them go ahead with it, we will decide after that what is to be done.”
Mr. Koda, 38, faces charges of having amassed over Rs. 2,000 crore through hawala and illegal investments. After weeklong raids on 70 places in 9 cities across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, IT officials on Wednesday sealed a room and almirahs at Mr. Koda’s residence here.
