Anti-corruption watchdog says it seized about $2.5 million in cash from the house of a close associate of Chatterjee
\n KOLKATA
\nIndia\u2019s financial-crime investigation agency arrested a West Bengal government minister on Saturday for allegedly making money off recruitment for state-run schools, officials said.
\nPartha Chatterjee, who was education minister in the eastern state for more than five years, was accused of appointing hundreds of teachers and non-teaching staff for money and other forms of bribes, putting them in positions they were not qualified for or had they paid acquire, said an official of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
\nChatterjee, who holds three ministerial posts, was arrested at his home in the state capital, Kolkata, ED said.
\n\u201cThe minister has been charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,\u201d an ED official said.
\nChatterjee\u2019s lawyer and family could not immediately be reached for comment.
\nThe directorate said in a statement it had seized about 200 million rupees ($2.5 million) in cash from the house of an actor and model, a close associate of Chatterjee, finding incriminating documents, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold from the premises of other government officials linked to the alleged scam.
\nThe arrest is a blow to West Bengal\u2019s ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party. Its leader and other members are among the most vocal critics of Narendra Modi\u2019s federal government.
\n\u201cThe party is in no way connected to the unaccounted money recovered by the agency,\u201d said AITC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
\nThe probe was ordered after some teachers reported alleged recruitment anomalies to the high court of the state, home to some of India\u2019s oldest and most prestigious educational institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anti-corruption watchdog says it seized about $2.5 million in cash from the house of a close associate of Chatterjee KOLKATA India\u2019s financial-crime investigation agency arrested a West Bengal government minister on Saturday for allegedly making money off recruitment for state-run schools, officials said. Partha Chatterjee, who was education minister in the eastern state for more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-273088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n