By India Blooms News Service Mar 18, 2023
Kolkata/IBNS: Tollywood actor Bonny Sengupta, who admitted to accepting Rs 40 lakh from expelled and arrested youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh for purchasing a vehicle, has returned the amount to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the multi-crore recruitment scam in Bengal.
This was revealed as the ED told the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here on Friday that a major part of the proceeds of the scam in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in different state-run schools in West Bengal was invested in Tollywood film industry.
ED Counsel Phiroze Edulji told the court that amounts as high as Rs 6.50 crore was transferred to a number of Tollywood actors and actresses from two bank accounts held by accused Kuntal Ghosh.
While Bonny Sengupta has returned the money, no other actor or actress who has received money from Ghosh has come up with any submission on this matter, said reports.
After getting quizzed by the ED officials in the first round for about four hours, Bonny told the media he had worked for 20-22 events arranged by Ghosh.
I met Kuntal for the first time during an event in 2017. Later he wanted to make a film with me. I have worked for 20-22 events with him. I had requested him to make a single transaction to my car account to help me buy the vehicle.
It was the only transaction of around Rs. 35 lakh between the two accounts, the actor, who claimed to have a personal relationship with Ghosh, said.
Bonny claimed he had made no agreement with Kuntal Ghosh for the events.
ED counsel said that despite repeatedly asking for the source of such huge funds, Ghosh had not come forward with any definite answer.
Even the judge of the special court was heard telling the counsel of Ghosh that his client should reveal the sources of unaccounted money in his bank account.
If one earns Rs 5 crore from illegal means and then pays tax on Rs 2 crore, the entire money does not become legal, the judge observed.
Meanwhile, the ED has already frozen 10 bank accounts of Ghosh and 15 bank accounts of another expelled and arrested youth Trinamool leader Santanu Bandopadhyay, from where transactions of several crores of rupees were detected by ED sleuths.