The Enforcement Directorate probing the money laundering part of the Saradha chit fund scam on Monday questioned award-winning actress and director Aparna Sen and State Textile Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee for many hours.
A visibly distraught Aparna Sen, who appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office with her husband, told reporters that she was asked about the monetary transactions made when she was working as the Editor of a magazine called Parama published by the Saradha Group.
“I told them that my job was limited to the editorial part of it and that I had nothing to do with monetary transactions which were done by them,” said the actress.
Aparna Sen was questioned under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money laundering Act, ED sources said, adding that she had agreed to cooperate with the agency whenever required in future.
Sen had been a vocal supporter of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the Singur-Nandigram movement and in the initial days of her rule but gradually distanced herself from the Trinamool Congress.
Textile Minister Shyamapada Mukherjee who was also summoned by the ED, was asked to explain his decision to sell a loss-making cement factory to the Saradha Group way back in 2009. “I was summoned by the officials to submit some papers like the balance sheet and my Income-Tax files, which I have brought with me,” Mukherjee said.
The main case against Mukherjee is that he had sold a cement factory which was running in losses to Sudipto Sen for `2.71 crore. The ED reportedly wanted to know from him as to what led the Saradha chief to buy a loss-making factory.
“I had received the money in cheques and have nothing to hide” the Minister said. However, the bank transactions suggested that more than `2.71 crore had changed hands in the deal.
ED sources said they want to know who introduced Mukherjee to Sudipto Sen. Reports had earlier said that an important Trinamool Congress leader had acted as a go-between in the deal.
Mukherjee, who was given a list of questions, was asked to give his statements in writing. Sources said that the Sudipto Sen’s ill-gotten wealth was transferred through such deals to a particular political party.
The ED’s interrogation of the Trinamool Minister tended to pave the way for his further grilling by the CBI which is also investigating the case and has by now unearthed a host of facts linking a number of Trinamool Congress politicians, including MPs and Ministers to the scam.