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Last Updated: December 08, 2023, 20:44 IST
Mahua Moitra was expelled from the House on Friday. (PTI)
Top sources in CBI to News18: “Now that the Parliament ethics committee probe is over, the CBI will look into the criminality part in the reference received by the Lokpal…The CBI will listen to and examine all parties, including the complainant…We will see if there is a need for a formal FIR… We are now free to examine it as a criminal case.”
Following the expulsion of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will now formally take up the probe into the cash for query case, according to top sources in the agency.
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Moitra was expelled after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest.
“Now that the Parliament ethics committee probe is over and they have tabled the report, the CBI will look into the criminality part in the reference received by the Lokpal. In this case, the preliminary enquiry (PE) is already done. We will now begin the probe formally,” said sources.
A PE is the precursor and formal enquiry into any matter for CBI to decide whether it wants to convert it into a regular case (a first information report) based on available evidence or close it.
As part of the procedure, the CBI will listen to and examine all parties, including the complainant. “After this, we will decide how to proceed and if is there is a need for a formal First Information Report (FIR). As a matter of principle, we have not taken steps when the Parliament probe was on. We are now free to examine it as a criminal case,” sources said.
THE REFERENCE FROM LOKPAL
CNN-News18 was the first to report on the reference received from Lokpal against Moitra. “A preliminary enquiry has been registered and an investigation has begun after a complaint was sent by Lokpal,” top CBI sources had told News18.
Moitra came under the scanner after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey accused her of taking “bribes” from a businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in Parliament.
ALSO READ | Cash for Query | UAE Trip, Billionaire Businessman & a Dog: How the Case Against Mahua Moitra Unfolded
Following allegations against her, the Lok Sabha Ethics Panel probing the case against her sought the TMC MP’s expulsion.
Recent reports claimed that the MP’s Parliament login ID was not just accessed from Dubai, but two other places, including one in the United States.
With PTI Inputs
