Agencies to track source of Anubrata Mondal's legal expenses

Kolkata, Dec 16 (IANS) "Who is funding the huge expenditure incurred behind carrying out the legal expenses for Trinamool Congress strongman and the party's Birbhum district president, Anubrata Mondal in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam?"

That is precisely the question that is baffling the agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the backdrop of the fact that during the last four months of Mondal's judicial custody, the two agencies confiscated huge property and froze several bank accounts of Mondal, his daughter Sukanya Mondal, his late wife Chhobi Mondal as well as many of his close family members and associates.

The two agencies, especially ED, with specialisation in tracking the money-trail in any scam, have now started a parallel probe to track this source of funds for legal expenses and identify the person or persons behind this fund supply.

ED sources said that since Mondal's arrest by the CBI sleuths in August this year, he had been tapping multiple courts for getting his bail like the special court of CBI in Asansol, Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.

"In all these courts he had appointed a battery of top and high-profile lawyers. Especially during the hearings at the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, the top lawyers of the country whose appearance fees amount to several lakhs of rupees, appeared as his counsels. Now the question automatically comes from where such funds for meeting such huge legal expenses are sourced or who else is managing the provisions of such funds. The matter is being investigated," an ED official said.

The matter has become extremely crucial in the present context as ED is desperately trying to take Mondal to Delhi for questioning at the central agency's headquarters at the national capital. At the same time, desperate to foil ED's attempts on this count, Mondal has appointed many high-profile lawyers for appearance at different courts.

In fact, the leaders of opposition parties had been for a long time publicly questioning the source of funds to bear such huge legal expenses on behalf of Mondal.