Kochi: A day after Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau booked a senior official of the Enforcement Directorate in a bribery case, Opposition leader VD Satheesan, on Sunday alleged that a large percentage of officials in the central agency are "corrupt" and that the agency is no longer fulfilling its intended mandate. Instead, he claimed, it is being misused as a tool to target political opponents of the central government.

 He further alleged that the ED routinely sends notices to individuals and subsequently extorts large sums—sometimes running into crores of rupees—through intermediaries in exchange for settling cases.

 “Such complaints exist against the ED from across the country. I am not saying that all ED officials are corrupt, but a huge percentage of them are. The agency is not performing the duties it was established for under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Less than one per cent of its cases are actually resolved,” Satheesan told reporters.

 “For a long time now, the ED has been focused solely on politically motivated cases, primarily targeting opponents of the central government. It has become a weapon of political harassment,” he added.

 The Opposition leader cited the recent VACB case against an ED official as the latest example of alleged corruption within the agency. He also reiterated allegations of a tacit understanding between the CPM and the BJP in Kerala, claiming both parties were protecting each other in various corruption cases. He also alleged that the probe into the Karuvannur bank scam came to a halt as part of the deal between the two parties.

 According to the VACB, an ED officer attached to the Kochi unit has been named the prime accused in a corruption case filed following a complaint by a businessman. Three individuals, including a chartered accountant, have already been arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹2 crore to prevent the businessman from being named in an ED case.

 The VACB, in its remand report submitted to the court, identified the ED official as the key accused. While the other accused were arrested on Friday, the Kochi-based chartered accountant was taken into custody on Saturday. As of now, the ED official in question has not been arrested.

On Sunday, VACB DySP told media that the probe is underway and the ED official cooperated with the interrogation.