Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar to appear before CBI on Wednesday

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, who is facing a slew of cases by the Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with disproportionate assets, is expected to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning on November 25. The central agency had summoned Shivakumar on November 23 but he had asked for a fresh date.

The CBI had recovered Rs 50 lakh in cash during the searches conducted on premises of Shivakumar, and brother MP DK Suresh, on October 5. The raids were conducted at Shivakumar’s residence at Doddalahalli, Kanakapura and Sadashiva Nagar, in Bengaluru, apart from others.

The case was registered after a seven-month-long preliminary enquiry looking into disproportionate assets Shivakumar amassed in his and his family members’ name during his tenure as a minister in the Karnataka government, the CBI claimed.

The CBI has calculated assets held and acquired, and expenditure incurred by Shivakumar and his family members between April 1, 2013 and April 30, 2018 called as check period.

According to the CBI FIR, Shivakumar and his family members held assets to the tune of Rs 33.92 crore, as per election affidavit, at the beginning of the check period which swelled to Rs 162.53 crore at the end.

The agency has alleged that after taking into account expenditure and income during the period, Shivakumar and family members have assets worth Rs 74.93 crore, about 44.93 per cent of total income during the period, which are disproportionate to known sources of income.

This is the first case by the CBI against Shivakumar, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president and an MLA, who was earlier arrested by the ED in a case of alleged money laundering, they said.

The Congress has continuously accused the BJP-led central government of “witch-hunt”, and linked the CBI action to the November 3 by-election in two assembly seats in Karnataka.

Earlier, the ED had arrested Shivakumar in September last year on charges of money laundering. He was released from jail on October 23 after the Delhi High Court granted him bail.

Shivakumar, who was appointed chief of the Congress’ Karnataka state unit in March this year, had been a minister in the Siddaramaiah Government of the Congress as well as the JDS-Congress Government led by HD Kumaraswamy.