ED Freezes TMC Bank Accounts Over Money Laundering Allegations

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken a major action in the money laundering case related to the funding of West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC). The agency has frozen three bank accounts of the party, in which about 440 crore rupees have been said to be deposited. The ED claims that during the investigation, financial transactions have come to light, which have raised suspicions that a luxury business jet and a VIP helicopter were purchased with the party's money, but later the same planes were used for hire. This is the first time that the ED is investigating the funding of a political party independently from the angle of money laundering. Before this, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) account was investigated under the Delhi Excise Policy Case. This whole case came to light after the ED raid on the Kolkata-based aviation management and leasing company Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd. According to the TMC, this company was formed in September 2021. Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, for the third time in the same year, about 1606 crore rupees were transferred from the aviation bank to the Trinamool Congress's account between April 2023 and June 2023. According to the ED, the accounts were transferred from Carewell Aviation Bank.