Trinamool MLA Jiban Krishna Saha was the main conspirator in SSC job scam, says ED

The Enforcement Directorate has identified Trinamool MLA Jiban Krishna Saha as the main conspirator in the SSC recruitment scam. The agency claims he and his associates extorted lakhs from eligible and ineligible candidates in exchange for government teaching jobs

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment case has revealed that arrested Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha and his associates demanded money in exchange for jobs not only from ineligible jobseekers but also from eligible candidates.

Sources in the central investigation agency said on Sunday that a huge amount of money was taken from several candidates in the name of getting them jobs as teachers in government-run schools. The ED claimed that an organised gang led by Saha was selling jobs in exchange for money.

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According to sources, Saha’s name has come to the fore as the main planner of that gang. The ED sources said fear and greed were two aspects used even among eligible candidates. Many were told that they had to pay money to get the job.

If someone refused to pay, they were allegedly threatened with cancellation of their appointment letters. The ED claimed that some demanded Rs 10 lakh, while others demanded Rs 16.50 lakh.

According to sources, the ED has already recorded the statements of several candidates, who have directly given detailed information about money transactions made to the MLA and his associates. Many of them have said that when they initially refused to pay money, the recruitment was delayed or cancelled.

As per the sources, on Saha’s instructions, this transaction network was created at the district and state levels. The central investigation agency is now investigating the link through which the money was exchanged. In addition, mobile phone messages and bank transaction documents are being collected as evidence of receiving and giving money.

The investigators believe that this network of corruption was spread across different parts of the state. The investigators also plan to interrogate Saha in front of those candidates in the coming days.

Recently, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court rejected the bail plea of Trinamool Congress MLA Jiban Krishna Saha, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the SSC recruitment corruption case. The judge ordered his judicial custody till November 18.

It may be noted that in August, the ED arrested the Trinamool MLA from his house in Burwan in Murshidabad district. The MLA tried to flee his house by scaling a boundary wall and also threw one of his two mobile phones in a bush.

However, he was stopped from escaping by ED officials, who also recovered the mobile phone. After he failed to answer the ED questions regarding lakhs of rupees found in bank accounts of his relatives, he was arrested by the financial probe agency.

In April 2023, the CBI had arrested Saha in the same case. After 13 months, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court. According to sources, ED officials said in court that money from the scam was deposited in Saha’s bank account in tranches.

The ED’s case stems from a CBI FIR registered on the orders of the Calcutta High Court into alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group C and D staff, assistant teachers of Classes 9 to 12, and primary teachers. The central agency has so far filed four charge sheets and arrested several key figures, including former State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, his alleged aide Arpita Mukherjee, and ex-TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya.