The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday summoned Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to appear before the agency on June 15 in connection with a money laundering probe linked to irregularities in the West Bengal primary teacher recruitment case, people aware of the developments said.
The summons, which requires the former chief minister’s nephew to report to the Kolkata district office of the DG, were served at Banerjee’s Kalighat district residence.
The ED’s investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which began in 2022, is based on the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding illegal recruitment of primary teachers, offering appointment to undeserving, unlisted and below-ranked candidates and denial of deserving and genuine candidates.
The FIR was registered by the CBI on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.
In May 2022, Supreme Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who later joined the BJP and represents the Tamluk seat in the Lok Sabha, ordered the RBI 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 CEO has already filed several chargesheets against several TMC leaders and former ministers including Chandranath Sinha and Partha Chatterjee and carried out several raids.
Charges have also been brought against 54 people and entities, including Partha Chatterjee, and the trial is underway before a special court in West Bengal.
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 the beneficiary of recruitment scandals in the state.
The ED questioned him in 2022 in connection with its probe into money laundering $1,352 crore in illegal coal mining case in West Bengal. He is also under the microscope in connection with investigations into the political consulting firm I-PAC.
