Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate has reiterated CPM's links in the controversial Karuvannur Co-operative bank scam after recording the statements of the accused. The central agency claimed that the parliamentary committee of CPM had played a key role in sanctioning benami loans.
The party had reportedly kept special minutes regarding the illegal loans as top leaders had given directions for the same. Manorama News reported that former bank secretary Biju Kareem and present secretary Sunil Kumar had given statements against the party in this regard.
Meanwhile, the ED has attached the assets of 35 people including the accused and benamis in the case. First accused P Satheesh Kumar's 24 properties and 46 bank accounts are listed among the assets attached. According to ED, Satheesh Kumar had amassed properties worth Rs 12 crore by swindling money from the bank. Out of the 46 bank accounts, 15 were operated in co-operative banks. Apart from the assets. ED seized Rs 1 crore from bank accounts of Satheesh Kumar.
In the report, ED claimed that CPM councillor P R Aravindakshan was Satheesh Kumar's partner-in-crime. As per the findings of ED, Satheesh Kumar had deposited Rs 50 lakh in Aravindakshan's bank account as a share of Rs 3 crore swindled from the bank in 2017. ED had frozen Aravindakshan's four bank accounts including two in Peringandoor Service Co-operative Bank and two in Dhanalaxhmi Bank and State Bank of India. The central agency has found that a transaction of Rs 66 lakh was made through his SBI account during 2014-18 and Rs 1 cr through Peringandoor Bank.
Fourth accused C K Jilse's three assets and Cherpu resident Anil Subhash's 28 properties were also attached. The assets of the accused and benamis were attached for a period of six months.
The Enforcement Directorate issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the assets on Friday. The total value of these properties is Rs 57.75 crore.
