‘Law will take its own course’: Satheesan on ED letter against Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the Enforcement Directorate’s request for an FIR against Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter and son-in-law in the alleged CMRL bribery case will undergo legal scrutiny before any decision is taken, stressing that law will prevail

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) letter seeking registration of an FIR against senior CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan and others in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case would be legally scrutinised before a decision is taken.

Satheesan, speaking at a press conference here following a Cabinet meeting chaired by him, said there was “no politics in it”.

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“A letter has been received from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) seeking registration of an FIR against Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter and son-in-law.

“Since a central agency has sent the letter, it will be examined legally before taking a decision. We have to scrutinise the seriousness of the allegations made by the ED. We cannot reject it merely because ED has sent it,” he said.

Section 66(2) of the PMLA allows the ED to share investigative findings with other law enforcement or regulatory agencies if it believes another law has been violated.

Satheesan said the letter contained serious allegations against Vijayan and others and that the ED was investigating the matter.

“We have sent it for legal scrutiny. A decision will be taken accordingly. Law will take its own course,” he added.

On allegations that some current ministers in the UDF government had previously received money from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL), Satheesan said political parties and leaders do receive financial contributions from companies.

“That is different from this (ED case). ED has not just mentioned receipt of money from CMRL. There is much more in their letter,” Satheesan said.

Reacting to CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan’s allegation that the Congress and BJP could enter into a deal over the matter, Satheesan said the Left party was trying to justify its various actions.

He also referred to Govindan’s wife being made a candidate in the state Assembly polls, a move that has faced criticism, including from within the Left party.

Satheesan said the Congress had no double standards on the issue. He said that when Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were questioned by the ED for over 50 hours, the Congress had cooperated with the agency and party workers in Delhi had not damaged its vehicles, unlike CPI(M) workers in Kerala after a search at Vijayan’s rented accommodation earlier this year.

“At the same time, we criticised the politics behind that move,” he said.

His remarks came after the ED sent a letter to Kerala DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar seeking registration of an FIR against Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas and some others in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case.

The request was based on what the agency described as “evidence” gathered during its probe and searches conducted under the PMLA.

The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of “IT consultancy services”.

The federal agency searched premises linked to Veena, who was living with Vijayan at a rented accommodation in Thiruvananthapuram, in June and subsequently questioned her.

The CPI(M) has termed the ED move “political vendetta” and said it would deal with the matter both legally and politically.