Ponzi scams: Partha Chatterjee, Rajeev Kumar reach CBI office

By PTI

Updated: Friday, August 16, 2019, 17:06 [IST]

Kolkata, Aug 16: Senior Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar went to CBI office here on Friday on summons issued to them in connection with Saradha chit fund and Rose Valley cases respectively.

Both Chatterjee and Kumar went to the agency's Salt Lake office in the afternoon after the two were summoned by the CBI on Friday in connection with the two separate cases, a senior officer confirmed.

"Yes, both Mr Chatterjee and Mr Kumar have reached the CBI office and investigating officers in the respective cases will talk to them," the officer told PTI. Chatterjee, secretary general of the TMC and considered to be a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, chose not to answer questions put to him by the media in this regard. Chatterjee is also the Education Minister and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of the state.

Sources said that Chatterjee's name had surfaced during the CBI's questioning of TMC Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson Derek O'Brien in connection with the probe into the Saradha scam on August 9.

"Chatterjee's name appeared during last week's questioning of Mr O'Brien. We got his name in connection with alleged funding of the party's newspaper, Jago Bangla," the source said. Incidentally, Chatterjee is the editor of the newspaper and O'Brien is its publisher.

CBI sources said that Kumar, who had been earlier been interrogated by CBI sleuths in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam, has been asked to appear before the agency officials to ascertain his role in the multi-crore Rose Valley scam.

Kumar had earlier been granted protection by the Calcutta High Court from any coercive action by the CBI against him in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam. He has also filed a prayer before the Calcutta High Court seeking similar protection from any coercive action being taken against him in the Rose Valley case. The prayer in connection with the Rose Valley case is yet to be taken up for hearing.