Kolkata, March 14 (IANS) Investigating agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), have secured crucial information about how a charitable trust linked to the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee was used as an intermediary to show “proceeds” in the crime as “donations” for charitable purposes.
Sources aware of the developments said the documents seized by the investigating officials in the matter have been corroborated by one individual named as accused in the charge sheet filed by ED who has agreed to be an approver in the case.
The accused, willing to be an “approver” in the case now, was also a member of the Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust, which was named after the deceased wife of Partha Chatterjee.
Once the process of turning into an approver is completed, the accused will make a confidential statement in front of a judicial magistrate. This will give the investigating officials an additional tool to make the case against the former state education minister more watertight.
Legal experts, however, feel that although there are legal provisions for the “accused” to turn approver, the process on this count is a bit lengthy and complicated. First, the accused concerned has to make an official application to the investigative agency concerned expressing willingness to turn approvers. The investigating agency concerned after examining the pros and cons of the development and also the probable future legal complexities arising out of the development might then seek the permission of the court where the matter is being heard. The judge, henceforth, will take the final decision on this count after recording the reasons for doing so and other legal angles in the matter.
Detailing the modus operandi of how the trust was used to divert funds, sources added, often proceeds in the crime received from the network of agents in the form of huge cash, were shown as donations given to the trust, and thereafter the same cash was used to purchase different landed property registered in the name of that trust.
The ED has named a total of 53 individuals as accused in their subsequent charge sheets in the matter, out of which 29 are individuals and the remaining 24 are corporate entities or trusts.
Besides Partha Chatterjee, his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, and his son-in-law Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya among others are also named as accused in the charge sheets.
Besides Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust, some other corporate entities have also been named in the charge sheets. A corporate entity where another prime accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra was the erstwhile chief operating officer (COO) is also named as an accused in the ED charge sheet.
–IANS
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