Kolkata: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued a fresh notice to four-time Trinamool Congress legislator from Madhyamgram Assembly Constituency in North 24 Parganas district and former West Bengal food & supplies minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led regime, Rathin Ghosh, for questioning in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-municipalities’ job case.
Sources aware of the development said that in the fresh notice for interrogation issued on Friday, Ghosh had been asked to be present physically at ED’s central government office (CGO) Complex at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts by the afternoon of June 1.
To recall, the last time Ghosh appeared at the ED’s Salt Lake office and faced a marathon interrogation for around 10 hours was on May 15. Thereafter, he was asked to be present at the ED’s office again on May 25, which he ignored and refrained from turning up.
Now again he has been asked to turn up at the ED office on June 1.
While appearing for interrogation at the ED’s office on May 15, Ghosh told the media persons that he was not aware of why he had been summoned. However, while coming out after a 10-hour-long marathon interrogation, he refused to answer queries from the media persons.
Currently, former Trinamool Congress legislator and former state fire services minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet, Sujit Bose, is in the ED custody in relation to the same cash-for-municipalities’ job case. Bose was defeated this time from his native Bidhannagar Assembly constituency, also in the North 24 Parganas district.
ED officials first received information about the multi-crore municipalities’ job case while conducting raids and search operations at the residence of Trinamool Congress-linked promoter Ayan Shil in connection with another money laundering case related to the cash-for-school jobs scam in West Bengal.
Later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also started a parallel probe into the municipalities’ job case following an order of the Calcutta High Court.
As officials of the two Central agencies progressed further with the investigation process, the names of several politically influential persons, including then state ministers and ruling party leaders, surfaced during the probe.
(IANS)
