Many more influential people involved in WBSSC scam: ED tells court

What were some hearsay allegations in the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities has now been accepted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a written submission to a special court ED in Kolkata.

The first point of written submission is that the huge cash recovered from the two residences of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee in July this year, were actually the proceeds of the teachers' recruitment irregularities scam. Around Rs 50 crore in cash along with huge quantities of gold were recovered from the two residences.

The second point of submission is that besides Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee, several other politically influential people were involved in the scam. As supporting documents to the second point of submission, the ED has presented the details of several leaders, MLAs of ruling Trinamool Congress and even some state ministers submitting recommendations to undeserving candidates in their respective letterheads.

In its written submission, the ED has also told the court that when its sleuths raided Partha Chatterjee's residence in July, they seized a number of incriminating documents, including those recommendation letters.

Currently, both -- Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee -- are in judicial custody and will continue to be there till September 14, when they will be presented at the court again. Sources said that during that period ED sleuths will question Chatterjee on these recommendation letters.

Meanwhile, the ED sleuths are also preparing to grill the other directors and employees of the shell companies, which, they believe were used to channelise the proceeds of the teachers' recruitment irregularities scam to different avenues.

The ED officials have learnt that some directors in some companies were appointed at paltry monthly payment of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and mostly they hailed from lower middle- class. "Actually, appointing such people as directors was just an eye-wash," an ED official said.

--IANS

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