Bengal school job scam case: ED files charge sheet against Trinamool legislator Saha

Kolkata, Oct 18 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Saturday, has filed the charge sheet at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata against Trinamool Congress legislator Jiban Krishna Saha in connection with his involvement in the multi-crore cash for school job scam in West Bengal.

Saha, the legislator from Barwan Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, was taken into custody by the ED officials in August this year.

He is currently in judicial custody.

The 80-page charge sheet by the ED had been filed at the special PMLA court nearly 60 days after he was taken into custody by the ED officials from his Murshidabad residence.

Sources aware of the development said that in the charge sheet, the central agency had mentioned fictitious transactions worth Rs 1.5 crore in the bank accounts held by Saha and his family members during the peak period of the alleged school job scam.

The charge sheet also contains the details of the Trinamool Congress MLA's 12 properties, the sources of funds for procurement of which was fictitious.

Saha was earlier arrested by the sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a parallel probe in the school job scam case.

However, the Trinamool Congress legislator was later released on bail in the case registered by the CBI.

In August this year, the ED officials conducted a marathon raid and search operations at his residence in Murshidabad district and finally took him to custody.

During the ED's raid and search operations, Saha tried to throw away his mobile phone, which was promptly recovered by the ED officials.

The ED officials also seized several incriminating documents from Saha's residence.

Recently, the ED has told the special PMLA court in Kolkata that their sleuths have so far confiscated Rs 238 crore in the form of cash, valuable jewellery and land property in connection with school job scam case.

--IANS

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