KOLKATA: Arrested All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader and Bengal government Minister Partha Chatterjee along with his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, who was also arrested on Saturday evening, had floated several shell companies under the names of different persons and laundered money.
The revelations were made in court on Friday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which arrested Chatterjee after questioning him for over 20 hours on Friday.
Appearing for the ED, Abhijit Kumar Bhadra, in the agency’s remand copy, argued that the various orders of the High Court of Calcutta make it clear that the entire process of recruitment of assistant teachers has been done illegally and for extraneous considerations.
In the remand copy, the ED alleged that various complaints have been received by the agency wherein it is alleged that the then Education Minister Chatterjee, in connivance with his associates, looted huge money by selling government jobs, i.e. Primary Teachers, Assistant teachers for class IX to XII, and “laundered the same through companies or proprietorship firms running in the name of different persons”.
The ED informed the court that the inputs received also indicated the laundering of proceeds of crime through Mukherjee, who is an associate of Chatterjee.
The ED told the court that a search was conducted at the premises of Chatterjee, Mukherjee and other places linked with the case on July 22.
ED told the court, “During the course of search at the residential premises of Chatterjee, various incriminating documents relating to immovable properties in the name of Mukherjee and her companies were recovered and seized.”
The financial probe agency informed the court that various incriminating documents related to the “appointment of group D staff” was also recovered from the residential premises of Chatterjee like admit cards of the candidates, summary of final results in C/W 3rd RSLT(NT) 2016 for the post of Group D staff, intimation letter for verification of testimonials and personality test in C/W 3rd RLST(NT) 2016 for the post of clerk, list of candidates of Group D Post, Admit card 3rd Regional Level Selection Test and others.
“Chatterjee is actively involved in the appointment of Group D staff,” the ED alleged.
The ED further said that during the searches at the premises of Mukherjee cash amounting to more than Rs 20 crores has been recovered, which is nothing but proceeds of crime in relation to the criminal activities for giving illegal appointments to assistant teachers for class IX to XII as well as Primary teachers in lieu of money.
During the course of the investigation, it was revealed, that Chatterjee has been in regular contact with Mukherjee. The proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 20 crores were recovered at the premises of Mukherjee.
“That a total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which is to be ascertained,” the ED told the court over the huge seizures it made during the searches from the premises of Mukherjee, who is also an actor.
The ED further said that during the course of the statement, Chatterjee was confronted with the recoveries of incriminating materials but he remained “uncooperative and knowingly concealed” the facts and circumstances of the case.
The ED counsel also informed the court that a number of other incriminating documents and electronic devices related to the generation of proceeds of crime have been recovered during the course of search at various premises and which are to be confronted with the accused persons and the trail of money is to be further investigated.
“Chatterjee and Mukherjee were found involved in the commission of the offence of money laundering, by indulging in a criminal conspiracy for the object of illegally giving jobs for the post of assistant teachers in class IX to XII and also in primary teachers and generating huge proceeds of crime and for having knowingly indulged, assisted, involved and being a party in the process and activity connected to the proceeds of crime including its concealment, possession, acquisition, use and projecting and claiming the said proceeds of crime as untainted property deriving illegal monetary gains and hence have committed the offence of money laundering,” the ED alleged.
Chatterjee was sent to two days of ED custody by a Calcutta court. However, Chatterjee was shifted to a hospital after he complained of chest pain.
Besides Chatterjee and Mukherjee, the ED on Friday carried out searches at the premises of Paresh C Adhikary, Minister of State for Education, Government of West Bengal; Manik Bhattacharya, MLA, and Ex-President of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, PK Bandopadhyay, OSD to the then MIC of Education, Sukanta Acharjee, PS to the then MIC of Education; Chandan Mondal @ Ranjan, Agent in selling jobs of teachers; Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Bhattacharya; Krishna C. Adhikary, Relative of Kalyanmay Bhattacharya; Dr SP Sinha, Advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission – Convenor of the 5-member committee; Kalyanmoy Ganguly, Ex-President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education; Saumitra Sarkar, Ex-President of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission; and Alok Kumar Sarkar, Deputy Director, School Education Department.
The searches and arrests come months after the Calcutta high court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out a probe into the recruitment scam of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ staff, assistant teachers of classes IX-XII and primary teachers.
Apart from the CBI, the ED is also probing financial irregularities into the “illegal appointment” of teaching staff and non-teaching staff in primary school.