Trinamul Congress leader Shantanu Banerjee took Rs 1 crore from Kuntal Ghosh, says ED

Officer says several “incriminating documents” and evidence have been found in the two iPhones that have allegedly been seized from Banerjee

TT |  14.03.23: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday submitted in court that Trinamul youth leader Shantanu Banerjee took Rs 1 crore from Kuntal Ghosh, an accused in the school recruitment case, for allegedly illegal appointment of teachers in government-aided schools.

The judge in the special CBI court extended Banerjee’s ED custody till March 24.

Banerjee, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Friday in connection with the job scam, has been booked under the money laundering act.

An ED officer said several “incriminating documents” and evidence have been found in the two iPhones that have allegedly been seized from Banerjee.

“We suspect the scam has now reached the height of Mount Everest and the magnitude could be as much as Rs 350 crore, of which only Rs 111 crore has been recovered,” one of the lawyers representing the ED submitted in the court.

Officials in the central agency said on Monday that there was a “mismatch” between Banerjee’s earnings and assets.

The ED told the court that Banerjee, who ran a small mobile phone shop in 2015, now owned real estate projects, restaurants and boutiques.

The lawyer representing Banerjee submitted in the court that not his client, but his wife was the owner of a restaurant and a boutique that had been connected to him.

The prosecution lawyer submitted: “If Shantanu Banerjee is claiming that he is not connected to the assets in the name of his wife, then his wife is an accused, too.”

Lawyer Abhijit Bhadra, who appeared for the ED, said Banerjee should not be granted bail as he is “very influential”. The accused should be in custody to ensure he does not get an opportunity to influence the investigation, Bhadra submitted.

Banerjee’s lawyer said his client had been summoned by the agency six times and he complied with the orders every time.

While opposing the bail plea, the agency sought Banerjee’s remand for 11 days.