ED registers money laundering case against Trinamool leaders

New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has registered a money laundering case against some Trinamool Congress leaders over their alleged involvement in the Narada sting case in which they were seen receiving money in exchange of favours to a fictitious company.

"We have registered a case against the Trinamool leaders under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of the case registered by the CBI," the official told IANS.

Accortding to the ED official, all the Trinamool leaders would be summoned soon for questioning.

The ED move comes 10 days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against a dozen senior leaders of West Bengal's ruling party and an IPS officer in the Narada case.

The list of those named in the FIR includes all 12 persons who were purportedly seen receiving money in the Narada sting operation footage. Trinamool Congress MP Aparupa Poddar's name is also included in the FIR.

Among those whose names figure in the FIR are Trinamool Vice President and Rajya Sabha member Mukul Roy, Lok Sabha members Sougata Roy, Sultan Ahmed, Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, state ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, and Sovan Chatterjee, who is also the Kolkata Mayor, and former minister Madan Mitra.

On March 17, the Calcutta High Court ordered a preliminary inquiry by the CBI into the case and asked the federal investigation agency to submit the report within 72 hours.

The controversy erupted in West Bengal in March last year when Narada News portal uploaded a series of video footage purportedly showing a number of senior Trinamool leaders, including former and present ministers, MPs and state lawmakers, receiving money in exchange of favours to a fictitious company.