Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 21 (PTI) The CPI(M) in Keralam on Friday launched a scathing attack on the ED over its money laundering probe involving former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter T Veena, alleging that the agency was being used for “political vendetta”.
In a hard-hitting editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Deshabhimani Daily’, the Left party alleged that the ED’s “political witch-hunt” would not succeed and accused the agency of creating an atmosphere of terror in the name of investigation.
The editorial said the agency was “weaving detective stories” and questioned the delay in the case, alleging that targeting political leaders over allegations against individuals amounted to “political vendetta.” The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a statement on Wednesday said it had seized some handwritten notes during searches at Veena’s premises in May, which contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
“Investigating agencies are not political weapons of the ruling dispensation; they are institutions accountable to the Constitution and the law,” the editorial said.
The CPI(M) alleged that central investigating agencies had increasingly been used as “the biggest weapon” against political opponents since the Narendra Modi government came to power.
It cited the cases involving Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and alleged that media organisations critical of the government had also faced attempts to be silenced through agencies such as the ED.
The editorial said the CMRL-Exalogic investigation had assumed significance again amid what it described as a “political campaign” targeting the CPI(M) and its leaders.
“Creating terror in the name of investigation by reaching even the friends of party leaders, weaving detective stories and prolonging the case are mysterious,” it said.
The party said investigating agencies should probe crimes, collect evidence and file charge sheets in accordance with law, and alleged that releasing a stream of allegations through the media was being used as a tool for political campaigning.
“An allegation does not make a person a criminal. A name appearing in an FIR, a raid being conducted or a report appearing in the media does not prove guilt,” the editorial said, adding that guilt could be established only by a court.
The CPI(M) also alleged that leaders of the BJP and the UDF who had faced similar allegations had not been subjected to comparable investigations.
The money laundering case relates to Kerala-based mining company CMRL and Exalogic Solutions, a company promoted by Veena and now defunct. The probe concerns allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic without receiving any services in return.
The ED has questioned Veena and members of the CMRL board several times as part of the investigation.
The agency registered the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Kochi.
The ED, in a statement on Wednesday, claimed that digital devices seized during the searches contained a photograph of a SIM card obtained under another person’s name, which Veena allegedly used to make internet-based calls.
The federal agency said it conducted fresh searches on August 18 in Kozhikode against people named in Veena’s handwritten accounts and the person who allegedly provided her with the SIM card.
The Left party, in the editorial, further said the party had the “strength and resolve” to face any such move democratically, legally and politically, and asserted that attempts to weaken it through investigating agencies would not succeed.
“The CPI(M) is a movement that grew through decades of engagement with the problems of workers, farmers and ordinary people,” the editorial said.
It also cautioned the media against presenting allegations by investigating agencies as established facts and said “journalism turns into a propaganda machinery of power” when allegations are presented as verdicts. PTI LGK KH
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