ED Alleges Former West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose Used Scam Funds for Restaurants and Properties

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Sujit Bose, a former Minister in the West Bengal government and a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, alleging that he used illicit funds from a municipality recruitment scam to finance his restaurant and other hospitality businesses.

In a statement released on Saturday, the ED said it filed a prosecution complaint on July 9 before a special PMLA court in Kolkata. The charge sheet names Bose, his son Samudra Bose, IAS officer Jyotishman Chattopadhyay, and several others. Bose was arrested in May and is currently in a Kolkata prison.

The ED claimed that Bose, who was also the vice-chairman of the South Dumdum Municipality, illegally recommended 340 candidates for various municipal posts between 2014 and 2022, of whom 284 were appointed. The agency alleged that the proceeds from these illegal appointments were deposited into the bank accounts of his proprietorship concern, Chinese Quisine Restaurant, and projected as legitimate cash sales, despite limited business operations. The ED noted that large cash deposits were made even during the Covid-19 lockdown.

According to the ED, the funds from the restaurant were then used to finance and expand other hospitality ventures, including Shree Venkatesh Banquets and Speciality Dhaba LLP, which ran Bengal Dhaba and The Bar & Lounge. The agency alleged that additional funds for property acquisitions were obtained through loans from shell companies and individuals, which were later repaid by routing the proceeds of crime through inflated or bogus cash sales of the hospitality entities.

The ED further alleged that Bose received flats as direct proceeds of crime in exchange for securing jobs for certain individuals. The agency charged that Bose not only vitiated the recruitment process of the South Dumdum Municipality but also usurped the authority of fair and transparent recruitment, administering illegal appointments for pecuniary gains.

The ED also pointed to the alleged involvement of IAS officer Jyotishman Chattopadhyay, the former director of local bodies, saying he abused his position to facilitate and regularise the illegal appointments, particularly in South Dumdum. The agency claimed that Chattopadhyay approved 29 additional appointments despite the absence of mandatory documents required under government guidelines.

Bose, a three-time sitting MLA from Bidhannagar, lost the recent assembly elections to the BJP candidate. He has denied any wrongdoing in the recruitments.

This is the second charge sheet in the case. The first was filed in February 2025 against Ayan Sil, director of a company responsible for printing question papers and preparing merit lists for municipal corporations.