The Saradha Group of companies, which duped lakhs of investors by promising phenomenal returns, had allegedly paid huge sums of money to several “influential persons” or their companies on various counts.
The Enforcement Directorate has so far questioned nearly a dozen such “influential persons” in connection with the financial transactions that are under scrutiny for identification of the proceeds of crime allegedly committed by Saradha chief Sudipta Sen.
It is learnt that the agency sought clarifications from Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose, who was arrested last November by the Central Bureau of Investigation, questioning him about a Rs.12-crore payment to his company Sangbad Pratidin. The bank account concerned and other properties have already been frozen by the ED.
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Former Congress Minister from Assam, Anjan Dutta — whose company Anubhuti Printers allegedly received Rs.7 crore from Saradha — has also been questioned, while former Congress Minister Matang Sinh has been quizzed as his various companies allegedly received about Rs. 28 crore.
Since West Bengal Minister of Textiles Shyamapada Mukherjee had allegedly sold his company Landmark Cements to the Saradha Group chief for Rs. 4.84 crore, the ED also sought explanations from him.
Among those questioned were Rajya Sabha MP Arpita Ghosh, who allegedly received Rs. 85 lakh; Ratikanta Basu, whose company Broadcast Worldwide was sold for Rs.19 crore and thereafter it received another Rs. 30 crore as fresh capital; and Manoranjana Sinh, the estranged wife of Matang Sinh, whose firm GNN Limited allegedly received about Rs. 26 crore.
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The agency found that Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Hasan Imran had also allegedly got Rs.45 lakh for his newspaper Azad Hind and after Sudipta Sen took over the venture, he continued to be the publications editor.
Among others said to be figuring in the ‘influential persons’ list are the Bollywood actor and Rajya Sabha MP Mithun Chakraborty, who reportedly received Rs. 2 crore; and famous painter Suvaprasanna, whose company Debkripa allegedly received Rs. 6.5 crore.