Kochi: Former Kerala Minister and CPM leader A C Moideen will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tomorrow (Aug 31) for questioning regarding the multi-crore Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam.
Moideen has sent a response to the ED notice asking him to be present in the agency’s office, citing his inconvenience on the day and promising to appear before it on another day.
The ED had sent a notice by Speed Post on August 25, asking Moideen to present himself for a detailed questioning at the agency’s office over the fraud case.
Moideen sent his reply to the notice through email.
'Benamis' arrive
Meanwhile, the former manager of the Karuvannur Bank, Biju Karim, and other accused P P Kiran, and Anil Seth reported to the ED office at around 11 am on Wednesday for questioning.
The ED has found that Rs 150 crore had been swindled from the bank and the trio act as benamis to whom loans were advanced.
The ED charges that CPM leaders such as Moideen were the real orchestrators of the fraud that was committed through benami transactions. Large amounts of money were taken from the bank through fraudulent loans by pledging the lands of poor people without their knowledge, at the bidding of these leaders, the ED says.
Biju Karim is on the list of accused persons in the case. The others were found to have taken fraudulent loans from the bank at Moideen’s bidding. The ED is questioning those involved in the financial crime, including intermediaries and benamis.
It was Moideen who controlled the bank when he was a member of the Trichur district committee of the CPM. The interrogation is being carried out to shed light on how his associates were extending loans from the bank illegally, sources said.
The agency has made it clear that the leaders of a political party that administered the bank have a role in the scam, though it stopped short of naming the CPM. It questioned the Crime Branch action, which included only the bank officials and local leaders in the accused list while excluding Moideen and the benamis.
