The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned senior Trinamool Congress chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his spouse Rujira for questioning in a cash laundering case associated to the alleged theft of coal from the Eastern Coalfields Limited mines.
Abhishek, an MP from Diamond Harbor, has been requested to seem earlier than the investigating officer on September 6, whereas Rujira has been requested to seem on September 1. Rujeera was questioned earlier by the CBI within the case filed final yr. The ED case is predicated on the CBI FIR.
Addressing TMC employees throughout the basis day of her youth wing, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led authorities on the Center of loosening central companies on Abhishek, whereas claiming that some BJP ministers joined palms with the coal mafia. Were have been “The BJP and the central authorities can’t struggle us politically. The occasion was defeated within the meeting elections and now they’re utilizing central companies towards our leaders like Abhishek Banerjee and others. Coal is below the CISF, the ministry is with the Centre, not the state. what have been they doing? I do know that dozens of Union ministers have looted Asansol. When he got here to Asansol for election marketing campaign, he stayed in motels owned by coal mafia. Should I carry out the record?” West Bengal CM stated, TMC won’t be intimidated by such actions by the Centre.
Speaking on the identical occasion, Abhishek stated that he’s not afraid of ED summons. “Intimidation from CBI and ED is not going to stop us,” he stated.
In April, the ED had advised a particular courtroom that Rujira and her sister have been paid a “substantial amount” in London and Thailand by the prime accused within the case. It had made this declare whereas searching for additional custody of Inspector Ashok Kumar Mishra, in-charge of Bankura police station in Purulia district and Ashok Kumar Mishra, a detailed aide of alleged gangster Anup Majhi alias Lala.
The ED had claimed that in interrogation, Mishra had advised officers that Rujira and her sister have been paid on the behest of TMC youth chief Vinay Mishra and the cash was taken from Maaji.
“He admitted that he arranged to transfer about (Rs) 1-1.5 crore to Delhi at the behest of Vinay Mishra. This amount was arranged from Anup Maji through Neeraj Singh… He said that Vinay Mishra was the secretary of TMC and MP was very close to Mr. Abhishek Banerjee… and knowing his clout in the party, he ( Ashoka will have to obey him (Vinay) or his (Ashok) career will end; that he facilitated the transfer of funds from India to London through a non-banking channel for a close relative of Mr. Abhishek Banerjee; …that the subject transaction of Thailand pertained to Rujira Banerjee,” the ED plea stated.
It additionally claimed that Maji’s accountant Neeraj Singh “assisted in transferring substantial money to Mr. Abhishek Banerjee’s close relative (Sister in Law and Wife) in London and Thailand”.
The ED had stated that the data and digital proof seized from Neeraj Singh confirmed that Mishra had acquired proceeds of crime by unlawful coal mining and theft in simply 109 days in 2020, and within the final two years. In Rs. 1,352 crore by unlawful coal mining.
Citing the assertion of a “close confidante” of Maji, the ED had stated that he carried out his unlawful mining enterprise “smoothly by managing senior functionaries of the West Bengal political party through Ashok Kumar Mishra”, and “the major funds are distributed to the management” political giants of the ruling occasion”.
On November 27 final yr, the Kolkata Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of CBI had registered a case of corruption and legal breach of belief for the primary time in relation to unlawful mining and theft of coal from the leasehold space of Eastern Coalfields Limited in elements of West Bengal. . ECL PSU is an entirely owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
In her response to the ED’s transfer, Mamata Banerjee accused the Narendra Modi authorities of “breaking the federal structure” and attempting to remove the rights of the states, saying that the allocation of rights to pure assets like coal is inside the purview of the central authorities. is available in. . He proposed a gathering of all Chief Ministers to struggle towards the “authoritarianism of the Centre”.
.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
