News

Rose Valley scam: TMC MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Tapas Pal named in CBI chargesheet

by IBNS 27 Apr 2017, 11:10 pm

Bhubaneswar, Apr 28 (IBNS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed a supplementary chargesheet in the multi-crore Rose Valley scam before a special court in Bhubaneswar, naming two arrested Lok Sabha MPs of Trinamool Congress (TMC), Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal, officials said.

Besides these TMC leaders, Rose Valley Group of Companies' CMD Gautam Kundu and its subsidiary organization- Rose Valley Marketing India Ltd., were named in the supplementary chargesheet, according to reports.

"The chargesheet has been filed under IPC sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy), 420 (Cheating) and 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent); sections 4 and 6 of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978; and sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988," a CBI official told IBNS.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal have been mentioned in the CBI chargesheet as the investigation revealed that these influential TMC MPs allegedly abused their official position and participated and aided the illegal fund collection business of the company, a CBI source claimed.

"During investigation, the CBI has also come to know that they allegedly promoted the illegal business of the company by writing letters to the Regulators favouring the company and also by sharing the dais with accused directors of Rose Valley in various functions for canvassing about the schemes, in lieu of which they received alleged huge financial benefits in cash as well as in kind," the source further said.

In December last year, CBI booked Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal in connection with Rose Valley chit fund scam and they both are in judicial custody in Odisha, while company's CMD Gautam Kundu is also in judicial custody in Kolkata.

Earlier on Jan 7 in 2016, the investigation agency filed its first chargesheet in the Rose Valley scam in the same court under IPC sections 420, 409 and 120-B and sections 4 and 6 of Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978 against four accused persons, including company's CMD Gautam Kundu, managing director, the then director and an ex-director, and three subsidiaries of Rose Valley group, reports said.

After being directed by the Supreme Court, CBI is probing the 17000-crore Rose Valley financial scam.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)