Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the multi-crore Saradha scam, has sealed the bank account of Kingfisher United East Bengal Private Limited, the holding company of Kolkata-based East Bengal sports club.
The Directorate officials confirmed on Tuesday that the holding company’s account with which transactions were made with Saradha group has been seized.
The development assumes significance as the East Bengal club has been under the scanner since the arrest of the important club functionary Debabrata Sarkar early in September. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is also probing the scam.
The ED officials said that accounts of at least three other clubs operating from Kolkata Maidan have been sealed.
Meanwhile, the officials of East Bengal club have decided to approach the ED seeking withdrawal of restrictions imposed on the bank account. “After an emergency meeting of the club during the day we have decided to write to the ED urging the agency to allow us to operate the account,” Kalyan Majumdar, general secretary of East Bengal, told journalists.
The club officials in their appeal are likely to argue that since they are cooperating with the Central investigating agencies they should be allowed to operate the account.
There has been no precedence of account of the club being sealed. As the investigation in the Saradha scam gathers pace certain sports clubs with which the scam-tainted company had business link have come under the scanner of the investigating agencies.
While the development may not have an immediate effect on the functioning of the club, but if the situation continues to be the same, the club may face difficulties in offering payments to footballers and staff and go on with its other routine affairs.
