Coal Scam
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira appears before ED in coal scam case
Kolkata/UNI/IBNS: Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, appeared before the ED officials at the CGO Complex, Salt Lake, in the alleged coal smuggling scam, official sources said on Thursday.
Rujira was stopped at the Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport (Dumdum) on Monday by the immigration officials not to leave the country as a lookout notice by the central investigation agency. And at the airport, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had handed a notice to her to appear at the CGO Complex on June 8.
Two ED officials from New Delhi including Deputy Director Pankaj Kumar arrived here to quiz Rujira, wife of Diamond Harbour MP and All India Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, sources added.
They said the ED has prepared a three-page (about 21-25) questioners for Rujira in the alleged coal scam.
Sources said Rujira appeared at the CGO Complex, accompanied by her lawyers around 12:30 pm, amid tight security arrangements.
Sources said a female ED official was also present at the CGO Complex.
On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday slammed the Centre and its probe agencies alleging the ED and CBI are harassing people and her family members and denied Abhishek Banerjee's wife from going abroad to see her ailing mother.
"It is unfortunate what the ED and CBI are doing. They are harassing people. Abhishek Banerjee's mother-in-law is unwell, and hence her wife was travelling to meet her mother," she said in a statement.
"The Supreme Court had said that if she were to leave the city, she could inform the ED and do so, which she did well in advance. ED officials could not tell her in advance that she could not travel abroad. But handing summons at the airport itself. it is nothing but harassment."
The Trinamool Congress supremo went on saying that " at times when people are trying to help their parents and elders, these investigating agencies are harassing people. They have no shame. They are busy politicising deaths. I don't want to get into this game with them."
The ED, which probes the financial irregularities, has claimed companies- Leaps and Bound Pvt. Ltd. and Leaps and Bound Management Services LLP- are connected to Abhishek and his family.
The two companies received protection funds from a construction company through the accused who are being probed in the case, the ED has claimed.
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