CBI interrogates Partha Chatterjee for 2 hours in I-Core ponzi scam case

Trinamool Congress secretary-general and Industry minister Partha Chatterjee was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers at his office today for two hours after the minister informed the agency about his inability to visit the CBI office for interrogation.

Chatterjee, who was summoned on Monday at CBI office, wrote in a letter to CBI, informing the agency about his inability to appear before the agency today in connection with the I-Core Chit Fund probe due to by-poll related meetings. He also requested CBI to question him at his residence citing the pandemic and him being a senior citizen. He was asked to appear at 11 am today. The CBI officials reached his office in the afternoon and quizzed him till 2 pm.

“I was invited to a I-Core chit fund programme. I have no connection with the case and whenever I get invited to a programme, I don’t check the balance sheet of a company,” Partha Chatterjee said.


The CBI had asked West Bengal Commerce and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the probe agency with regard to the I-Core chit fund scam and a notice in this regard was sent to him.

The I-Core chit fund scam broke in 2015 when the central investigation agency arrested Anukul Maity. Maity, the owner of I-Core group, was the main accused for illegally collecting funds from small investors to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore. Maity died in November 2020 while he was lodged in a jail in Bhubaneswar who faced charges of money laundering.

In a video clip, Chatterjee was found with I-Core chief Anukul Maity on the stage in a program and Chatterjee was heard speaking in favour of I-Core. The date of the video clip coincides with the time when there were several complaints against I-Core and Chatterjee went to the program and spoke in favour of I-Core, CBI sources said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, ED sent notice to state Law minister Moloy Ghatak.