TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee skips ED summons in coal smuggling case

Kolkata: TMC national secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday skipped the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons over his alleged connection with the coal scam.

According to sources, Banerjee has mailed a letter to ED officials and also claimed that he will send the necessary documents.

It can be noted that Banerjee was summoned twice this month as he was quizzed for over nine hours on March 21 by ED in the national capital.

On September 5 last year, ED had quizzed Banerjee under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for over nine hours.

It can be recalled that his wife Rujira Banerjee is also summoned by ED and is now scheduled to meet them on March 30. On March 21, Rujira had skipped the summon and the TMC national secretary claimed that his wife has household ‘commitments’ for which she couldn’t attend the quizzing of ED.

Banerjee’s sister-in-law is also scheduled to meet ED on March 31.

Banerjee and his wife had filed a special petition before the Supreme Court last week, challenging the ED notices asking the couple to appear before the agency in Delhi.

Banerjee claimed that he will ‘cooperate’ with the ED and also requested that ED should summon them in the Kolkata office and not in New Delhi.

On March 11, Delhi High Court had dismissed the TMC national secretary and his wife’s plea challenging the ED notices asking them to appear before the agency in Delhi instead of Kolkata.

Anup Majhi alias Lala is the prime suspect in the case and is the kingpin. The ED had claimed that Banerjee was a beneficiary of the funds obtained from this illegal trade.

Published on: Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 09:05 PM IST