Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday questioned heavyweight Trinamul Congress minister Partha Chatterjee and former Kolkata police commissioner Raje-ev Kumar in two separate chit fund scams. While Mr Chatterjee was grilled in Saradha scam, Mr Kumar was quizzed in Rose Valley scam.
As he was summoned by the CBI, this is the first time Mr Chatterjee, who is also the Trinamul secretary-general, faced any Central agency. At around 2.15 pm, the state education minister appeared at the CBI office in CGO Co-mplex of Salt Lake. Duri-ng the next four hours, he was asked questions ab-out financial transactions between Saradha group and Jago Bangla, the Bengali mouthpiece of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s party, according to sources.
Mr Chatterjee who was associated with the newspaper was, however, allo-wed to go after his statement was recorded. While leaving the CGO Complex he, however, claimed, “They have called me to ask about the organisation. I had talks with them and there was nothing serious.” Mr Chatterjee’s questioning came close on the heels of Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien's grilling by the CBI on the same issue in the same scam.
Mr O’Brien, who is the Trinamul parliamentary party leader in the RS, is also the publisher of Jago Bangla. Earlier another senior Trinamul leader and former Lok Sabha MP Subrata Bakshi was examined by the CBI. While probing Saradha scam, the CBI found the chit fund group’s money’s transaction in the PSU bank account of Jago Bangla. Meanwhile, Mr Kumar visited the CBI office at around 2 pm.
The criminal investigation department chief was questioned for the next three hours before he was let go. Mr Kumar was earlier examined in the Saradha case.
Sources claimed that he had sent a letter to the CBI stating his inability to appear before August 19. But the CBI sent him another notice, sources added. In the morning senior IPS officer sent a letter to the CBI through an economic offence wing (EOW) officer of the state detective agency. When the EOW officer of the CID was leaving the CGO Complex, Mr Kumar turned up.
