CBI raids Moloy Ghatak's house, ED summons him to Delhi

KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the coal pilferage scam, on Wednesday summoned West Bengal Law Minister Moloy Ghatak and asked him to appear before the agency's officials in Delhi on September 14, ED sources said.

The summons were sent on a day CBI searched five houses belonging to the minister — three in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district and two in Kolkata, including his official residence near the Raj Bhavan, in connection with the multi-crore coal scam. The CBI also conducted searches at the residence of one of Ghatak's close associates in the Alipore area of the city and another in Diamond Harbour in the neighbouring South 24-Parganas district.

He was not present in any of his residences when the raids took place. Ghatak said that the house in Chelidanga of Asansol is his ancestral house. The house where his son stays was bought using bank loan amounting to Rs 88 lakh. Also Ghatak paid Rs 20 lakh. He said: "The entire amount used to buy the house is from my income. Everything is transparent. I have submitted documents to the ED. I was surprised that the CBI did not even ask me for an appearance. When they came I was sleeping. I am the Law minister. Several books and files related to the law and departmental documents were examined by CBI. This is nothing but an intention to malign." The ED had filed a money laundering case against Ghatak, who has already been interrogated once.