ED summons TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, his wife in coal smuggling case

The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the accused in a coal smuggling case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira in a money laundering case linked to the accused in a coal smuggling case. Banerjee and his wife have been asked to appear before the agency in Delhi on two different dates next week for questioning, officials said.

The summons was issued to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee’s nephew and his wife after the Delhi High Court refused to grant any relief in this case. Banerjee, who is also the national general secretary of TMC, was questioned by the ED on September 6, 2021, for over eight hours.

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According to sources, Abhishek Banerjee did not cooperate with the financial probe agency when he was questioned earlier. Banerjee was reportedly asked specifically about unaccounted money which was received by two firms associated with his family.

He failed to explain the source of money, which officials claimed was the proceeds of crime generated in the coal smuggling case, sources close to the ED said. His wife Rujira was also summoned by the ED but she refused to join the investigation. Later, the two approached the Delhi High Court against a summons issued by the probe agency.

The ED claims that two companies — Leaps and Bound PVT LTD and Leaps and Bound Management Services LLP — are connected with Abhishek Banerjee and his family. These firms, the ED claims, allegedly received protection funds amounting to Rs 4.37 crore from a construction company through the accused, who are being probed in the coal smuggling case.

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