Bengal job scam case: After avoiding four times, ex-Minister Rathin Ghosh appears before ED office

Kolkata, May 15 After avoiding Enforcement Directorate’s summons for interrogation in relation to the multi-crore municipalities’ recruitment case in West Bengal, Rathin Ghosh, the former Food and Supplies Minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led state government, finally appeared at ED’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Friday.

Although Trinamool Congress got defeated in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, Ghosh managed to get elected from his native Madhyamgram constituency in North 24 Parganas district for the fourth consecutive term since 2011.

Ghosh reached the ED’s Salt Lake office around 11 a.m. Before entering the office to face integration, he told media persons waiting there that he was unaware of the exact reason for his being summoned by the central agency.

The ED had sent notices for interrogation to Ghosh before the Assembly elections last month. However, he ignored four such notices from ED, claiming that he was busy with his election-related duties.

However, finally, he appeared at the central agency’s office on Friday morning.

Earlier this week, the ED officials arrested Sujit Bose, the former fire services minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet, in connection with the same municipality's job case.

He was arrested on the night of May 11 after being integrated for 10 hours at the ED Salt Lake office. He was presented before a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on May 12, and the judge remanded him to the ED custody till May 21.

It is to be seen now whether Ghosh too will meet the same fate as his former cabinet colleague, or ED will allow him to go after integration.

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.

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