Saradha scam plotted to frame me: Kunal Ghosh
Kolkata, Oct 27 (IANS) Subjected to repeated interrogation by investigating agencies, suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh Sunday said the Saradha chit fund scam was "plotted" in such a way that every investigator would first question him.
"The scam has been deliberately plotted in such a way that whichever agency investigates, it will have to grill me first. Nonetheless, I have been, and will continue, to cooperate with any kind of investigation," said Ghosh, who has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning Oct 29.
The Rajya Sabha member, who was earlier suspended by the Trinamool for "anti-party" activities, has been accused of complicity in the multi-crore scam -- the biggest financial scandal to hit West Bengal.
Saradha promoter Sudipta Sen, now behind bars, earlier wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accusing many prominent leaders from various political parties, including Ghosh, of being complicit in the scam.
"The plot began with Sen's letter to the CBI and I hope the premier investigating agency takes up the probe so that the real culprits are unmasked," said Ghosh, who earlier headed Saradha's media arm. He has repeatedly claimed that he was being made a scapegoat.
Ghosh has been questioned by the state police as well as the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) several times.
While the CBI has not formally taken over the Saradha probe, other central agencies -- the Enforcement Directorate, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) -- are probing the matter.
The Saradha scandal came to light in April this year.
The company closed shop across Bengal after being unable to pay back its depositors -- mainly poor people who, lured by the promise of huge returns, parked their life's savings with the firm.
As the company went bust, there was a spate of suicides by agents and investors and protests across the state.