Keralam CM Satheesan flags contradictory remarks by Vijayan, Riyas on ED-seized diary

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 16 (PTI) Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan and his son-in-law P A Mohamed Riyas had made contradictory remarks about a diary allegedly seized by the ED in the CMRL case.

Satheesan said that while one of them had questioned which diary was being referred to and what it contained, the other had said it contained details of future business plans involving Vijayan’s daughter T Veena.

His remarks came amid the Enforcement Directorate’s recent communication to Keralam Director General of Police Ravada A Chandrasekhar seeking registration of an FIR against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and some others in connection with its probe into the alleged CMRL bribery case.

According to media reports, the ED, in its communication, cited entries from a “red book” allegedly recovered during a search at a rented residence where Veena was staying and claimed that it contained evidence relating to financial transactions.

The agency has alleged that the notes contained details of financial transactions and claimed they pointed to the transfer of money to Dubai through hawala channels. These are allegations made by the ED and have not been established by a court.

“One asked which diary it was and what diary was being referred to, while the other said it contained details about future business,” Satheesan said at a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Replying to a question on the issue, he said the government was examining the ED’s recommendation to register a case against Vijayan and others and stressed that the scrutiny was being carried out on legal, rather than political, grounds.

“The allegations and offences mentioned in the letter given by the ED to the government are very serious. We are primarily examining the legal aspects rather than the political aspects,” he said.

He said a “very careful legal scrutiny” was under way and the government would arrive at an appropriate decision as soon as possible.

“I am not going into further details as legal scrutiny is under way. We are looking at the legal aspects, not the political aspects. Since the offences mentioned in the letter submitted by the ED are serious, a decision will be taken after careful scrutiny,” Satheesan said.

“Let the court examine the rest,” he added.

The ED had recently written to the state police chief seeking registration of an FIR against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and some others, citing evidence it said had been gathered during its money-laundering probe and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The agency has alleged that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd made payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of “IT consultancy services”, and has alleged that the payments were bribes.

The ED had searched premises linked to Veena, who was living with Vijayan at a rented accommodation in Thiruvananthapuram, in June and subsequently questioned her. Reports said the material referred to as the “red book” was among the documents the agency seized during the search. PTI LGK SSK

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