Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is under the CBI scanner in the Narada Sting Operation case, has accepted that she received money from Samuel Mathew, the editor of Narada News portal.
According to insider, the TMC from Barasat in West Bengal had categorically denied receiving this money as a 'kickback' and instead called it a donation.
"I accept that I had taken donations from Mathew Samuel, I have receipts too. All political parties accept donations to fight elections. I have taken money as donation for election and I have declared it to Election Commission,'' the TMC MP was quoted as saying. Narada News portal had conducted a sting operation in 2014 in which its editor Mathew Samuel, posing as a businessman, was seen approaching the TMC leaders to get favours and, in return, offered cash to them.
The video footage was released just before the state assembly polls in 2016. Kakoli was among the TMC leaders who were shown accepting cash from Samuel.
The CBI had subsequently booked 12 top TMC leaders, including MPs and West Bengal ministers, and an IPS officer. An FIR was lodged for alleged criminal conspiracy under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The anti-corruption wing of CBI also carried out voice sample tests of the MP on Sept 12.
VOICE SAMPLE
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| The anti-corruption wing of CBI also carried out voice sample tests of Kakoli on Sept 12 in connection with the Narada sting operation |
—Zee Media Newsroom
