The Enforcement Directorate’s 172-page chargesheet in the jobs-for-cash case has included a purported recommendation letter from former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, endorsing his “close family friend” Arpita Mukherjee’s wish to adopt a child. The ED has presented this as part of evidence that establishes a strong connection between the duo, as per the investigating agency. The two were arrested within hours of each other on July 23, 2022. Arpita had filed an adoption plea five months prior to that.
The chargesheet also mentions that Partha took Arpita along with him to Thailand in 2014-15, paying for her travel expenses. The ED refers to a property in Thailand, which the suspended Trinamool Congress minister allegedly bought in 50:50 partnership with Arpita Mukherjee. Investigators have also come across 31 LIC policies in Arpita’s name, on which a total monthly premium of Rs. 1.5 crore is payable. Partha Chatterjee’s bank statements revealed that he used to make the payments towards the insurance premium on the said policies.
