A court on Wednesday rejected the bail petition of Arpita Mukherjee, an alleged close associate of arrested former minister Partha Chatterjee.
Mukherjee has been charged under the money laundering act.
The Special (CBI)-I court on Wednesday said it was clear from the statement of the accused that she had not divulged the source of the money and the ornaments found in her apartments.
“She did not disclose the source of the huge cash and jewellery recovered from her premises. It is very hard to swallow that the petitioner only acted under the political influence of Partha Chatterjee.... The connection of this petitioner with accused Partha Chatterjee can be traced even long before Partha Chatterjee became a minister in the state,” the court said.
On Monday, Mukherjee’s lawyer had claimed that all the money and jewellery seized from her flats belonged to Chatterjee.
The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) lawyer, Abhijit Bhadra, said the central agency opposed the bail petition because Mukherjee was fully involved in money laundering and had benefited from the proceeds of the crime.
The court said it was apparent from the available materials that Mukherjee was involved in a “direct or indirect attempt of being indulged in the activity connected with the proceeds of crime….”
Mukherjee’s judicial remand was extended till June 19.