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NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress person Abhishek Banerjee connected Monday said that helium would not 'cower down' adjacent if his pharynx was slit, aft being questioned for much than 11 hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) successful transportation with the alleged teacher recruitment scam successful West Bengal.His remarks came aft the ED summoned the party's nationalist wide caput for questioning successful a wealth laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities successful the recruitment of superior teachers successful the state.Speaking to reporters aft leaving the ED's bureau successful Kolkata, Banerjee said: "I was questioned for 8-8.30 hours yesterday and for 11 hours today. This is simply a 2023 lawsuit and I person appeared earlier the bureau 10-12 times.
I won't accidental whether determination is simply a governmental unit oregon not. The little it is said for BJP, the amended it is. On 1 side, they interruption our enactment and indulge successful post-poll violence. Even if you slit my throat, I won't cower down.
I volition look earlier the bureau if they summon maine adjacent successful the future."
The questioning league astatine the ED's CGO Complex bureau lasted for implicit 11 hours and came aft Banerjee was interrogated for astir eight-and-a-half hours by the West Bengal CID successful transportation with an alleged forgery lawsuit involving MLAs' signatures.
According to officials, the ED questioned Banerjee arsenic portion of its ongoing probe into the alleged superior schoolhouse recruitment scam and confronted him with fiscal documents, integer records and statements made by different accused persons.Officials said investigators were examining the alleged wealth way linked to the scam and seeking clarifications regarding fiscal transactions and entities nether scrutiny.Speaking aft the questioning, Banerjee said helium had afloat cooperated with the bureau and would proceed to bash truthful successful the future."In the past, I person cooperated with the investigating agencies, beryllium it the CBI oregon the ED. I did the aforesaid happening today. If they telephone maine again, I volition surely come," helium said.Banerjee besides alleged that repeated summonses were portion of an effort to weaken absorption parties."There has been a sustained effort implicit the past period to intimidate, weaken and suppress absorption forces that garbage to bow down, and to make an opposition-free West Bengal," helium said.The ED's probe is linked to alleged irregularities successful the recruitment of teachers and non-teaching unit successful government-aided schools successful West Bengal.Earlier this year, the bureau attached immovable properties worthy astir Rs 57.78 crore nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) successful transportation with the School Service Commission adjunct teacher recruitment scam.The probe stems from the wider cash-for-jobs lawsuit that came to nationalist attraction successful July 2022, erstwhile erstwhile West Bengal acquisition curate Partha Chatterjee was arrested aft currency worthy much than Rs 50 crore and golden jewellery worthy Rs 4.5 crore were recovered during raids linked to the alleged scam.The ED has alleged that proceeds of transgression generated done amerciable recruitment were routed done aggregate entities and companies. Investigators person besides examined transactions linked to Leaps & Bounds Pvt Ltd, a institution wherever Banerjee had earlier served arsenic a director.The Supreme Court, successful a judgement delivered connected April 3 past twelvemonth quashed the appointments of much than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff, holding that the full recruitment process was tainted and vitiated.Banerjee is besides scheduled to look earlier the authorities CID connected Tuesday successful transportation with the alleged forgery of MLAs' signatures case.
