School job case: Bengal Minister appears before ED office for questioning

Kolkata, Sep 25 (IANS) As directed by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Special Court, West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s office here on Thursday.

He arrived at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex office at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of the capital city to face interrogation in relation to his involvement in the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case.

The special PMLA court, on Wednesday, while rejecting ED’s plea for the seven-day custody of Sinha, directed the minister to be present at ED’s office for two consecutive days, --Thursday and Friday -- to face interrogation in the matter.

“I am here to fully cooperate with the investigation agency in the matter. The agency has not sought any fresh documents from me as of now. I will fully cooperate in the investigation process,” said Sinha, the Minister for West Bengal Correction Services, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Textiles Departments, before entering the ED office.

On September 6, Sinha surrendered before the same PMLA court in connection with the ED's probe into the alleged recruitment scam. The court later granted him interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000, with certain conditions attached.

Earlier this month, the ED submitted its sixth supplementary charge sheet to the special court, detailing financial irregularities in the accounts of Sinha and his family members. At the time, ED had sought a seven-day custody for Sinha, which was rejected by the special court on Wednesday.

The documents provided by ED to the special court highlighted a series of large, phased cash deposits made into a joint account held by the minister and his wife, Kuntala Sinha, at a branch of a public sector bank in Kolkata.

According to the sixth supplementary charge sheet, a total of Rs 1.18 crore in cash was deposited into the joint account between January 2016 and November 2019 -- identified as the peak period of the alleged school recruitment scam.

--IANS

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