Bengal School Employment Scandal: ED Reveals Cash and Gold at Arpita Mukherjee’s Home Linked to Partha Chatterjee
Click to start listening
Kolkata, Dec 26 (NationPress) - The Enforcement Directorate (ED) disclosed to a special court in Kolkata on Thursday that the substantial amount of cash and gold seized from the dual residences of Arpita Mukherjee in July 2022, which is part of the extensive cash-for-school job scandal in West Bengal, actually belonged to her mentor, Partha Chatterjee, the former Education Minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress Secretary General.
The legal representative for the ED informed the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court that Mukherjee, who is currently out on conditional bail, admitted during her questioning by the central agency that the properties registered under her name were utilized by Chatterjee to store the cash and gold.
The procedure for framing charges against all individuals and corporate entities named as accused commenced at the special PMLA court on Thursday.
Simultaneously, Chatterjee's lawyer submitted a petition requesting relief from the ED's case.
Chatterjee is the tenth accused in this case to seek relief, following nine other individuals who submitted similar petitions earlier this week.
The special court noted that according to regulations, the charge framing process would initiate with those who have requested relief in the case.
Thus, on Thursday, the charge framing process began with the ten individuals who have filed relief petitions to date.
Once the charge framing is concluded, the trial will commence.
Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee have been identified as the primary beneficiaries in the total scam amounting to Rs 151.26 crore in the cash-for-school job case, as outlined in the ED's fifth and final supplementary charge sheet. According to the supplementary charge sheet submitted to the special court, the total amount of Rs 151.26 crore confiscated by the ED thus far shows that the combined share of Chatterjee and Mukherjee amounts to Rs 103.78 crore. This confiscation includes both cash and gold seized, as well as attached immovable property.
