Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee (File) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, and his wife Rujuira for questioning in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged illegal mining and pilferage in Eastern Coalfield Ltd.
While Banerjee has been asked to appear before the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi on Monday (March 21), his wife has been asked to appear on Tuesday. Banerjee is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The summons came after the Delhi High Court last week dismissed a plea by the couple challenging an earlier ED summons issued on September 10 last year. The couple had sought direction from the court to the ED that they should not be summoned for appearance in Delhi since they are residents of West Bengal.
The agency had, however, questioned Abhishek Banerjee at its Delhi office in September last year. Banerjee has denied all allegations against him and his wife in the case.
According to sources, ED has found financial trails allegedly leading to a company promoted by Rujuira. They said money was allegedly received by this entity in London and Thailand.
The agency had last year questioned Banerjee on Rs 6 crore cash received in a company — LTB Infraconsultancy Pvt Ltd — owned by TMC youth leader Vinay Mishra and his brother Vikas Mishra. Vikas has been arrested by the agency, while Vinay is said to be absconding, having acquired citizenship of another country.
The agency had earlier claimed that Vinay was close to Banerjee, and that money was laundered in the case on behalf of some TMC “stalwarts”.
In April last year, ED had told a special court that Rujuira and her sister were paid a “substantial amount” in London and Thailand by the key accused in the case. The agency had made the claim while seeking further custody of arrested accused Ashok Kumar Mishra, who was the inspector in-charge of Bankura police station in West Bengal’s Purulia district and is said to be a close associate of key accused Anup Majee, alias Lala.
The ED had claimed that during questioning, Ashok Mishra had allegedly said that this transaction was made at the behest of Vinay Mishra, and that the funds were sourced from Majee.
Citing the statement of a “close confidant” of Majee, the ED has said that Majee allegedly conducted his illegal mining business “smoothly” by “managing senior functionaries of [the ruling] political party of West Bengal through Ashok Kumar Mishra”. Citing the same statement, it said that “major fund is distributed to manage political stalwarts of the ruling party”.
On November 27 last year, CBI’s Kolkata Anti-Corruption Branch registered a case of corruption and criminal breach of trust regarding alleged illegal mining and pilferage of coal from leasehold area of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) in parts of Bengal.
ECL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, a PSU, and does mining in Bengal and Jharkhand.
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