NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday termed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) decision to freeze its bank deposits worth Rs 440 crore as “politically motivated”, asserting that all its financial transactions had been fully disclosed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Income Tax Department.The statement came hours after the ED froze the party’s bank deposits under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation into financial transactions linked to the party’s bank accounts. Responding to the action, the TMC said in a post on X that all donations and bank accounts had been transparently disclosed and were available in the public domain.”All funds held in the party’s bank accounts have been fully and transparently disclosed. 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.” The party also accused the Centre of using investigative agencies against political opponents.”The Enforcement Directorate’s decision to freeze the party’s bank accounts is a politically motivated act. 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.”The ED had earlier said it froze the party’s deposits following a money laundering probe into alleged financial transactions involving TMC-linked bank accounts. The agency is investigating claims that more than Rs 150 crore was routed through a network of aviation, travel and allied service companies and is examining whether funds used for chartered flights during the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha campaign were layered through multiple entities to conceal their source.The investigation stems from a complaint alleging that proceeds of a major cyber fraud were transferred into certain TMC bank accounts. As part of the probe, the ED has searched multiple locations in Kolkata and is examining transactions involving several companies and at least 18 bank accounts linked to the case.
