Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday questioned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife, Rujira, for over eight hours at its Salt Lake office in connection with the school jobs case. The ED, which is probing the money laundering angle in the alleged irregularities in appointments of staff in government-aided schools, has claimed that a private firm, Leaps & Bounds, allegedly received kickbacks for the school jobs scam. Rujira is an ex-director of company, while husband Abhishek Banerjee is CEO. This was the first time that Rujira was questioned by the ED in connection with the school jobs case. Earlier, she had been questioned by the ED in connection with the coal pilferage case. Rujira, who reached ED's Salt Lake office around 10.55 am and left around 7.30 pm after over 8 hours of questioning. Sources in the ED said that Rujira was asked to explain in detail about her knowledge about Leaps & Bounds and why she quit as the director of the company. The ED, which has questioned Abhishek Banerjee, has also issued summons to Abhishek's parents. Abhishek, who is the nephew of West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, is considered number 2 leader in the party. Meanwhile, the ED conducted search operations in several rice mills, besides a few shops in four places in Nadia district in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in appointment of school staff, PTI reported. Central forces personnel guarded rice mills at Shantipur, Dhubulia, Krishnanagar and Ranaghat where searchs were underway. “.Money amassed from jobs scam was invested in the rice mills. We have documents to prove that. Raids are being held in this connection,” PTI quoted an ED official, as saying.
