Mumbai: Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh again failed to show up at the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday. Instead, he sent a letter through his legal representative, requesting the agency to record his “statement on audio/visual mode at whatever time convenient.” He has also sought a copy of the enforcement case information report (ECIR) that ED has registered against him.ED had, on Monday, issued a second summons to Deshmukh to question him in connection with the alleged money laundering linked to the extortion racket involving dismissed assistant police inspector SachinVaze.

Deshmukh had failed to appear before investigators on June 26 when the first summons were issued.

Responding to the second summons, Deshmukh sent a three-page letter to ED through his lawyer, advocate Inderpal B Singh, on Tuesday morning.“It would not be possible for me to furnish the documents sought by you unless I am furnished with or supplied a copy of the ECIR MBZO-I66/2021 or list of documents. Unless the said ECIR is perused by me, it will not be possible to furnish the documents sought,” the former minister stated in the letter.“I have already exposed my person to some extent on June 25, in my long interaction with you spanning over several hours during the course of search and recording of my statement. I will furnish all information and any document that you may require once I am aware of the contents and details thereof. The copy of ECIR is not available with me, I am handicapped and incapacitated to furnish the documents as of now,” he added in the letter.

He said, “Contrary to the fact that I had duly complied with the summons dated June 25 in the letter and spirit by appearing through authorised representative, an adverse propaganda against me was unleashed in social and print media platforms alleging that instead of complying I have sought time to appear.”The senior Nationalist Congress Party leader further stated that “I have been repeatedly highlighting that the proceedings being initiated against me at the instance of certain individuals who are themselves guilty of grave offences & have dubious antecedents as also the fact that a political tug of war has been initiated by the Central Government led by a particular political party who seek to abuse their power and authority for vested interest.”