ED summons to TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee in money laundering case

THe Enforcement board of directors (ED) on wed served process to Trinamool united states congress’ (TMC) subject general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, asking him to appear before it on June 15 in connection with its money laundering probe in the primary teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal, people familiar with the development said.The summons were delivered at Banerjee’s Kalighat area residence. Officials said that the leader has been asked to appear at its Kolkata zonal office.ED’s prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) probe in the matter, ongoing since 2022, is based on Central bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR pertaining to illegal appointment of primary teachers, offering appointment to the undeserving, non-listed and below ranked candidates and depriving the deserving and genuine candidates without maintaining fairness, in criminal conspiracy with each other by flouting the relevant rules. The FIR was registered by the CBI on the May 2022 directions of the Calcutta High Court.In May 2022, Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered CBI to probe the appointment of non-teaching staff (Group C and D) and teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education between 2014 and 2021. The appointees allegedly paid bribes in the range of ₹5-15 lakh to get jobs after failing the selection tests.ED has already filed multiple charge sheets against several TMC leaders and former ministers including Chandranath Sinha and Partha Chatterjee. It has also carried out raids on multiple occasions.Charges have also been framed against 54 people and entities including Partha Chatterjee and trial is undergoing before a special court in the state.Officials said that total assets attached under PMLA in the primary teachers recruitment cases stands at ₹154 crore while in the related cases related to SSC assistant teacher recruitment and Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ staff recruitment scams in West Bengal during TMC’s tenure, properties worth ₹486 crore have been attached.So far, in recruitment cases alone, ED has attached assets worth ₹641 crore.The agency suspects that Abhishek Banerjee is a beneficiary of the recruitment scams in the state.Earlier, ED questioned him in 2022 in connection with its probe into money laundering worth ₹1,352 crore in an illegal coal mining scandal in West Bengal. He is also under the scanner in connection with probes pertaining to the political consultancy firm I-PAC.