The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday strongly criticised the Enforcement Directorate's decision to freeze three of its bank accounts containing deposits of Rs 440 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following searches conducted in connection with an alleged fund misappropriation case.
In a statement posted on X, the Mamata Banerjee-led party asserted that every rupee held in its bank accounts has been declared through the prescribed legal process and maintained complete transparency regarding its finances.
“The party has duly reported all donation transactions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Income Tax Department. These disclosures are published annually on the ECI’s website and are available in the public domain. The details relating to electoral bonds are already available with the Government of India, as the bonds were issued by the State Bank of India (SBI) and subsequently submitted to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India," it wrote on X.
Describing the ED's action as politically driven, the party accused the central agency of being used to target opposition parties.
“We strongly condemn this arbitrary and illegal action. The misuse of investigative agencies to target political opponents has become a hallmark of the BJP’s politics and represents a serious assault on democratic institutions and the principles of a level playing field," it added.
The Enforcement Directorate, meanwhile, said the freeze orders were issued under Section 17(1A) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. According to the agency, the provision empowers an authorised ED officer to freeze an asset, including bank deposits, when it is not feasible to seize the property and there is a need to prevent it from being transferred or otherwise dealt with. The order must subsequently receive confirmation from the PMLA adjudicating authority within the stipulated time frame.
The agency said the three HDFC Bank accounts belonging to the TMC together hold deposits amounting to Rs 440.42 crore.
On Tuesday, the ED carried out searches at five locations in Kolkata, including premises linked to Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd., a company engaged in private jet and charter aircraft services.
The raids were initiated after the agency took cognisance of an FIR registered by the Bidhannagar cyber wing of the Kolkata Police over allegations of dishonest financial transactions, unlawful collection of money and the routing of suspected funds through certain TMC bank accounts. The investigation comes after the party was recently voted out of power in West Bengal by the BJP.
