Kolkata, Mar 18 (IANS) The “confidential statement” by Partha Chatterjee’s son-in-law Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, who has agreed to be an approver in the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case in West Bengal, will be recorded at a lower court in Kolkata on Tuesday.
As per the schedule fixed, his statement will be recorded in the second half before the Calcutta Metropolitan Magistrate.
Recently, a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMA) in Kolkata approved Bhattacharya’s plea to turn approver and directed that his statement be recorded before a judicial magistrate.
Accordingly, the second half of Tuesday has been fixed for recording his statement on the matter. However, the special court’s approval for him to turn approver has come with a significant condition.
Bhattacharya, who was mentioned as an accused in subsequent charge sheets by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter, besides making the application to turn approver also pleaded for exemption from the charges against him in the case.
The special court of the PMLA in Kolkata, while clearing his application to turn “approver”, had observed that Bhattacharya’s other plea for exemption from charges would be granted only if he revealed new information in the “confidential statement” to be recorded in front a judicial magistrate.
In case Bhattacharya fails to reveal new information that will aid the investigation process, his plea for exemption from charges will not be granted and he will continue to be considered an accused in the case.
Bhattacharya was a member of the trustee board in Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust, named after the deceased wife of Partha Chatterjee, the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General.
The main charge against the trust is that proceeds in the school-job cases received in cash were shown as donations to the trust, and subsequently, the same proceeds were used to purchase property in the name of the trust.
–IANS
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