The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi-crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal, has again summoned state law minister Moloy Ghatak for questioning in connection with the case.
Ghatak has been asked to be present at the central agency’s headquarter in New Delhi in the third week of July.
The notice was served to him through an email on Wednesday morning. This is not the first time that Ghatak has been summoned by the ED officials at its headquarters for questioning in the case.
But every time the law minister dodged that summons. The last time he was issued the notice was on June 23, wherein he was asked to be present at ED’s New Delhi office on June 26.
Prior to that on June 19, the minister was summoned but he did not appear and informed the probe agency through his counsel that he had other engagements in view of the upcoming panchayat polls in Bengal.
Earlier to that, the ED had issued a notice to Ghatak on June 6, giving him enough time of 13 days in between to prepare himself and appear at the agency’s New Delhi office.
However, at the last moment, the minister informed the central agency sleuths about his inability to turn up a questioning because of his engagements in relation to the panchayat pole in the state.
To recall, in September last year, the ED sleuths conducted raid and search operations at a number of residences of Ghatak and his relatives that Asansol in West Burdwan district as well as in Kolkata.
The State law minister had faced marathon questioning at that point of time also.
2023071237927
