New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Monday said it has attached a demand draft worth Rs10.29 crore of the Trinamool Congress as part of a money laundering investigation against the Alchemist Group promoted by the party’s former MP KD Singh.
This is the first time that the assets of a political party have been attached under the anti-money laundering law.
The TMC is headed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who has been at loggerheads with the Union government. She and her party have maintained that the actions of central agencies against its leaders have been politically motivated. The BJP has said agencies like ED, CBI and the Income Tax Department were acting against the corrupt.
In a statement, the agency said, “This fund (Rs10.29 crore demand draft) was used by the company (Alchemist) to make payments for various aviation/ helicopter companies for the aviation services availed by All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party during the campaigning for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.”
The aircraft were used by the party for its star campaigners like West Bengal CM Banerjee, party MLA and former railway minister Mukul Roy, actor Moon Moon Sen and MP Nussrat Jahan among others, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.
K D or Kanwar Deep Singh is a former MP of the party in Rajya Sabha.
The money laundering case stems from multiple FIRs filed by the CBI, Kolkata Police and the Uttar Pradesh Police against various individuals and companies of the Alchemist Group.
The case pertains to the charges that the Alchemist Group collected funds of more than Rs 1,800 crore from investors (victims) in its companies like Alchemist Holdings Limited and Alchemist Township India Limited on the false promise of providing high returns and giving flats, villas, plots and high-rate of interest on the investments to the depositors.
“However, the investors/public were never returned their money and the funds were siphoned off and diverted to various group companies of Alchemist Group,” the ED claimed.
The probe found that “a part of the money collected by cheating the public was used by Alchemist Group for making payments to aviation companies on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress”, it said.
PTI