After CID interrogates Abhishek for over 6 hours, ED seeks financial records of firms linked to him

The ED has sought financial and property-related documents of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's company, 'Leaps and Bounds', as part of its ongoing probe into the primary teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, an official said on Tuesday. The development came a day after Banerjee appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the CGO Complex here and underwent nearly 11 hours of questioning in connection with the money laundering investigation linked to the recruitment irregularities. Investigators have asked Banerjee to furnish details of all bank accounts operated by Leaps and Bounds, records relating to properties rented out by the company, and other financial documents, he said, adding that the agency was examining whether any transactions connected to the firm have relevance to the alleged flow of funds generated through the recruitment scam.

"Certain financial records and property-related documents about the company have been requisitioned. These documents will be scrutinised before any further decision is taken in the investigation," the ED official said. According to him, a substantial part of Monday's questioning of Banerjee revolved around a purported 15-minute audio recording that has figured in the central agency's investigation. The audio clip, which was also referred to in a supplementary chargesheet filed by investigators, allegedly contains conversations relating to the distribution of money generated through the illegal sale of jobs. The recording is said to have originated from a 2017 meeting attended by the arrested accused Banerjee's close aide Sujay Krishna Bhadra, also known as 'Kalighater Kaku', he said.

Investigators are examining allegations that discussions during the meeting involved the collection and sharing of funds allegedly obtained from job aspirants.

The official said the agency questioned Banerjee to verify facts emerging from the audio evidence and other materials collected during the investigation. "The objective was to corroborate information obtained during the probe and examine links, if any, between various individuals, entities and financial transactions under scrutiny," he said. ED investigators were seeking clarification on several issues arising out of the audio recording and financial trail.

The agency is expected to review the documents sought from Banerjee before deciding on its next course of action, including whether any further questioning would be required. Banerjee, however, maintained that he had fully cooperated with the investigation