TMC youth wing leader sent crores of rupees to Partha Chatterjee, ED tells court
ED is probing the money laundering trail in the school recruitment case in West Bengal. Partha Chatterjee was arrested by ED in the case in July 2022 and is currently in judicial custody.
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth wing leader Kuntal Ghosh, who was arrested on January 21 in West Bengal’s teacher recruitment case, collected bribes from job aspirants and handed over the money to former education minister Partha Chatterjee and others after keeping his own share, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told a Kolkata court on Friday.
“That the money so collected, exchanged hands with influential persons including Partha Chatterjee, the then education minister and his associates. That cash amounts were also being handed over to Chatterjee, directly,” ED told the special PMLA court as Ghosh was produced before the judge in Kolkata on Friday.
ED is probing the money laundering trail in the school recruitment case in West Bengal. Chatterjee was arrested by ED in the case in July 2022 and is currently in judicial custody.
In July last year, ED seized ₹49.8 crore in cash and jewellery worth ₹5 crore from two flats of Arpita Mukherjee, a close associate of the former state education minister. She was arrested along with Chatterjee and is in custody now.
Tapas Mondal, an accused in the case, allegedly told ED earlier that Kuntal Ghosh collected about ₹19 crore from job aspirants. An ED official said the agency did seize documents from Ghosh’s flats during a raid.
“The documents suggest that Ghosh collected at least ₹30 crore from job aspirants. At least ₹6.5 crore was deposited in Ghosh’s two bank accounts. The amount was immediately withdrawn after that and transferred to different accounts,” an ED official alleged
Mondal has given ED receipts allegedly signed by Ghosh and a list of around 325 candidates who qualified the Teacher Eligibility Test by paying bribes.
“He also invested in the entertainment industry. The source of this money is being investigated,” said the official.
The total money and jewellery seized and the properties attached in this case now stands at ₹111 crore.
Ghosh’s counsel, however, refuted the charges saying that the ED has not recovered a single penny from Ghosh’s flats.
“These are all allegations made by the ED, nothing of which has been substantiated till now. Except for some documents the agency found nothing in Ghosh’s flats. No money has been seized. Despite this he has been arrested under Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” said Raj Sengupta, Ghosh’s counsel.
Ghosh also alleged that Tapas Mondal, who accused the TMC youth leader of bribery, was conspiring with the Bharatiya Janata Party to malign the TMC.