The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday served summons on Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, asking him to appear before it on June 15 in connection with its money laundering probe into the primary teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, people aware of the developments said.
The summons was served at the Kalighat district residence of Banerjee. The leader has been asked to appear at the Kolkata district office, officials said.
The ED’s PMLA investigation into the matter, which has been ongoing since 2022, is based on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR relating to illegal recruitment of primary teachers, offering appointment to undeserving, unlisted and inferior candidates and depriving deserving and genuine candidates without maintaining justice, in criminal conspiracy with each other by violating relevant rules. The FIR was registered by the CBI based on the May 2022 directions of the Calcutta High Court.
In May 2022, Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the appointment of non-teaching staff (Groups C and D) and teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission and the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education between 2014 and 2021. The appointees are alleged to have paid bribes to the extent $5-15 lakhs to get jobs after failing selection tests.
The CEO has already filed several chargesheets against several TMC leaders and former ministers including Chandranath Sinha and Partha Chatterjee. It also carried out raids on multiple occasions.
Charges have also been filed against 54 people and entities, including Partha Chatterjee, and the trial is underway before a special court in the state.
Officials said the total assets associated under the ACA in elementary teacher employment cases is now $154 crore while in the relevant cases related to recruitment of assistant teachers in SSC and recruitment scams of group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees in West Bengal during the tenure of TMC, properties worth Rs. $486 Crores have been attached.
So far, in employment cases alone, the Executive Directorate has attached assets of value $641 Crores.
The agency suspects Abhishek Banerjee of being a beneficiary of recruitment scams in the state.
Earlier, the Department of Economic Affairs questioned him in 2022 in connection with its investigation into the value of money laundering $1,352 crore in illegal coal mining scandal in West Bengal. He is also under the microscope in connection with investigations into the political consulting firm I-PAC.
