MLA KT Jalil reached the Enforcement Directorate office in Kochi on Thursday
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Former higher education minister and CPM-backed MLA KT Jaleel appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi on Thursday and presented “evidence” with regard to the agency’s probe into alleged transactions of unaccounted money through a bank account. . Chandrika, the mouthpiece of IUML.
Jaleel reached the central agency’s Kochi office around 4.30 pm and returned around 8.30 pm. He said the ED would soon question IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty in connection with the case.
“I was asked by the ED to come to the office to hand over the evidence including the land documents. The agency will interrogate Kunhalikutty on September 16 and Moeen Ali Shihab Thangal on September 17. I don’t know if Kunhalikutty will request the postponement of the dates of inquiry as I told you. Why is he afraid to face the media?” Asked Jalil while returning from the ED office.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that Jaleel was summoned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who asked the former minister to be cautious while making public statements.
The chief minister is also understood to have told him that the party line is that there is no need for an ED probe into allegations of corruption in cooperative banks in the state.
Talking to reporters, Jaleel, however, denied that he was called by the Chief Minister.
“The CM didn’t call me. I asked him for permission to meet earlier on Wednesday and he asked me to come on Thursday.
He also said that he did not demand an ED probe into irregularities in AR Nagar Sahakari Bank.
He said he would instead pressurize the government to launch a vigilance probe. “The LDF government will not settle with financial fraudsters,” Jaleel said.
Later in the day, in a Facebook post, Jaleel said he would continue his fight to unearth Kunhalikutty’s black money transactions. He said that if he can win the battle in 2006 with the support of LDF, he can maintain his winning streak in 2021 as well.
Jaleel had earlier leveled serious financial allegations against IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty, saying he was linked to the alleged Rs 1,021 crore scam in the co-operative bank.
Vijayan and Cooperation Minister VN Vasavan had earlier made statements disagreeing with Jaleel over the initiation of an ED probe into irregularities in AR Nagar Sahakari Bank.
Vijayan had said that it is the state government which has to act in such cases, while the Cooperation Minister had said that the state government would not take action to set up individual accounts.
While the CPM has been at loggerheads with the ED over several issues arising out of its investigation into the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case last year, which had put the party and the government on the backfoot, the probe into co-operative bank corruption by the agency will be more than just that. Complications for the party
The CPM-controlled Karuvannur Co-operative Bank in Thrissur is already facing allegations of serious loan scam. Meanwhile, CPM’s acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan said the propaganda that Jaleel is not getting CPM’s support is “media-made” news.
He said that the CPM has always fought against the political outlook of IUML. The ED is probing allegations of money laundering from the newspaper’s AR Nagar Cooperative Bank account during demonetisation.
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