One of the accused in the multicrore Saradha Group scam, Debjani Mukherjee claimed in a written statement here on Friday that she was “sacked” as a director in most of the companies of the group when she asked uncomfortable questions about its operations.
Ms. Mukherjee, who was arrested along with chairman and managing director of the Saradha Group Sudipta Sen at a resort in Sonmarg in Jammu and Kashmir on April 23, is presently in police custody. The statement signed by her, was released to the Press by her counsel Anirban Guhathakurta.
Ms. Mukherjee claimed that when she learnt that Mr. Sen was running the business in a “different way” that went against her principles she raised her voice against him and was sacked. She continued as the director of five media companies citing “procedural complications” of replacing the director of a media company as a reason for staying on.
Mr. Guhathakurta also circulated copies of documents from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs that show that of a total of 40 companies, she ceased to be the director of 35 companies – 15 companies in April last year and another 20 companies in September last year.
However, she claimed that she could not “leave the captain of a drowning ship” and accordingly travelled to Delhi when she was summoned there. She also stated that she tried to return to Kolkata twice, but failed to do so.
According to him, Ms. Mukherjee travelled to Delhi on April 14. He also produced copies of flight tickets from Delhi and Chandigarh as proof of her intentions.
Ms. Mukherjee also dismissed reports that vast sums of money paid to her as her remunerations as well as allusions about her personal life as “cock and bull stories.”
She stated that she never had any relations with Mr. Sen other than that of “a sincere trustworthy employee” and denied sharing a room with him during tours.
