Tapas Paul pleads innocence, says Babul Supriyo involved in scam
Denies allegations that he took financial advantage from the chit fund company
Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP (Member of Parliament) Tapas Paul, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last Friday for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Chit fund scam, on Sunday, said his innocence will be proved in due course.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty at all. Everything will be proved later,” Paul told reporters while getting into a CBI car in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar after a health check-up in a hospital.
Asked about the allegations that he took financial advantage of the chit fund company, Paul vehemently denied it.
“I deny all the allegations against me. I know for a fact that I haven’t taken any monetary advantage from anyone,” he said.
Paul alleged Union minister Babul Supriyo is involved in the multibillion Rose Valley chit fund scam.
“Babul Supriyo tricked me into the scam and he is involved in it,” he claimed.
“Many other ministers also have links with the multi-crore [billion] chit fund scam,” Paul added.
He said: “My party is with me.”
Terming his arrest as “politically motivated”, his wife Nandini Paul reiterated his claims, saying the actor-turned-politician was not involved in anything illegal.
“It is definitely politically motivated,” Nandini said.
“He hasn’t done anything illegal. He worked as a director in a film produced by the Rose Valley and received monthly remuneration by cheque after TDS [Tax Deducted at Source] deduction. I know he hasn’t taken any money apart from the remuneration,” she said.
Paul was arrested on Friday afternoon by CBI sleuths from Kolkata after being interrogated for four hours for his alleged links to the ponzy scheme.
He was moved to Bhubaneswar in the late hours of Friday on transit remand.
The Special Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court of the CBI in Bhubaneswar on Saturday allowed the agency to take the Trinamool MP on a three-day remand.
