TMC paid Rs 160 cr for jet, helicopter: ED

The Enforcement Directorate's preliminary investigation revealed that Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) transferred around Rs 160 crore from the party's bank accountsto Kolkata-based Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd and its related entities between April 2023 and June 2026, officials told PTI.The company allegedly routed Rs 82.96 crore to another newly incorporated entity between 2023 and 2026, the officials said, adding that Rs 112 crore was used to purchase an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet and an AgustaWestland 109SP helicopter.The transactions are part of the ED's money-laundering investigation into the alleged routing of funds through entities linked to the TMC.Also read: Rs 12.84 lakh, 800g gold seized; TMC leader's ex-bodyguard arrested in Tulu Mondal caseAccording to details reported by The Times of India, the agency is also examining an interest-free security deposit of Rs 88.5 crore allegedly paid by the TMC to Carewell Aviation for chartering the aircraft and helicopter.Carewell Aviation did not have the funds to acquire the two aircraft and that the security deposit was subsequently transferred to its offshore-linked entity, Carewell Flyjet IFSC Pvt Ltd, based in Gujarat's GIFT City, sources told TOI. An additional transfer of more than Rs 16 crore from the Cayman Islands is also under the ED's scanner.The TMC had agreed to pay about Rs 186.9 crore, excluding GST, for using the jet for 72 months and the helicopter for 56 months. The charter agreement stipulated minimum monthly charges of Rs 90 lakh for the aircraft and Rs 60 lakh for the helicopter.The ED is examining why the party paid the interest-free security deposit despite the rental arrangement, as well as the pricing of the charter services, according to the report.Sources cited above said the TMC was charged Rs 16.5 lakh per flying hour for the Embraer jet, while other customers were allegedly charged around Rs 7.6 lakh per hour for the same aircraft.The probe agency is also examining the TMC's use of aircraft from other charter companies despite allegedly not exhausting the minimum flying hours under its agreement with Carewell Aviation.Between 2021 and 2026, the party allegedly spent around Rs 149 crore on aircraft and helicopters hired from other companies, according to the newspaper.The ED was examining a separate charter arrangement involving Windborne Aviation, from which the TMC hired a Falcon 2000 aircraft for about 11-12 flying hours at a cost of Rs 9.1 crore, or roughly Rs 75.7 lakh per flying hour.Also read: SC declines relief to TMC in ED bank account freeze case, cites 'balanced order'Supreme Court declines to interfere with HC order on frozen TMC accountsThe Supreme Court on August 11 declined to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order that denied interim relief to the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC against the ED's decision to freeze three bank accounts of the party as part of its money-laundering probe.A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale said it was satisfied that the high court had passed a "balanced" order, noting that the main writ petitions remained pending before the high court.The ED has frozen the three accounts, which have a combined balance of Rs 440.42 crore, in connection with a money-laundering probe arising from a West Bengal Police FIR alleging dishonest financial transactions, unlawful collection of money and routing of suspected funds through certain TMC accounts.The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by the Banerjee-led faction challenging the Calcutta High Court's July 20 order denying interim relief to operate the frozen accounts.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that the freezing of the accounts had left the party unable to pay salaries and meet its expenses. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, said the high court had permitted the accounts to be operated for day-to-day expenditure.The high court had also noted that the TMC had 36 other accounts, in which a total of Rs 164 crore was lying, apart from the three accounts under debit-freeze.The high court had appointed one of its former judges as a special officer to facilitate the operation of the three frozen accounts for the party's day-to-day expenditure.The Banerjee-led faction had approached the high court challenging the ED's initiation of an Enforcement Case Information Report, or ECIR, in the matter.