Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday issued fresh summons to former West Bengal food and supplies minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet, Rathin Ghosh, for further interrogation in the multi-crore cash-for municipalities job case in the state.
Ghosh, the four-time Trinamool Congress legislator from Madhyamgram Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, has been asked to be present at ED’s office at the central government office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata by the afternoon of May 25, when the results for the re-polling for the Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas will be announced.
Ghosh has been summoned by the ED for questioning several times in the past in connection with the urban civic bodies’ recruitment case.
However, he repeatedly avoided appearing, citing his campaign engagements as the reason. Finally, on May 15, the former state food and supplies minister appeared at the CGO complex and was questioned for about 10 hours.
On that day, when Ghosh entered the ED office, he said that he did not know why he was being called. However, he did not say anything after leaving the ED office. Now he has been summoned again for further interrogation.
Currently, the former three-time Trinamool Congress legislator and the 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 had 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 ICBI) 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 state ministers and ruling party leaders, surfaced during the probe.
(IANS)
