Kolkata:
Sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate on Monday interrogated Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for over 11 hours in connection with their probe into the alleged primary school recruitment scam, an official said.
The marathon questioning took place a day after Banerjee had a similar session for nearly eight and a half hours with the state CID regarding the alleged forgery of MLAs’ signatures on documents related to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.
After coming out of the ED office at around 10.15 pm, he alleged that summonses like this are attempts to destroy the opposition forces.
The TMC MP reached the ED’s CGO Complex office a few minutes before 11 am, following a summons issued in the money laundering probe linked to irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers.
The official also said the federal probe agency has listed two dozen questions for the TMC leader in connection with the scam.
“The entire session was videographed and documented. They will be verified, and cross-checked with other evidence and the versions of other accused persons arrested in this matter,” the official told PTI.
There were two breaks during Monday’s marathon session of the Diamond Harbour MP, who was also confronted with financial documents, digital records and statements from other accused persons to trace the alleged proceeds of crime, he added.
“Our focus is on the money trail. Who handled funds, how they moved across accounts and entities, and whether these transactions were layered to conceal their origin,” the official said.
The agency would seek clarifications on “inconsistencies observed between earlier submissions and fresh materials recovered during searches”.
Outside the ED office, Banerjee said that he cooperated with the central probe agency’s officers during the interrogation.
“In the past, I have cooperated with the investigating agencies, be it CBI or the ED. I did the same thing today. If they call me again, I will surely come,” Banerjee said.
On whether he suspected any role of the ruling BJP behind the ED issuing his summons, Banerjee said, “The less you talk about the BJP, the better. I will also not speak whether there is any political pressure or not, but surely these are attempts to destroy the opposition forces.” “There has been a sustained attempt over the past month to intimidate, weaken, and suppress opposition forces that refuse to bow down, and to create an opposition-free West Bengal,” he added.
Meanwhile, ED’s questioning also covered the role of intermediaries and beneficiary entities flagged during forensic analysis.
“We have obtained bank records and communication data indicating the involvement of multiple fronts. Today’s examination aims to reconcile those data points with Mr Banerjee’s version,” the official said.
The ED has questioned several people, including former minister Chandranath Sinha, in connection with their probe into the scam.
Incidentally, the TMC leader is scheduled to appear before state CID officers on Tuesday in connection with the forgery of MLAs’ signatures case.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
