ED issued summons to CM Pinarayi's son in money laundering case, reveals 2023 document

Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant development, fresh evidence has emerged revealing that the  Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had issued a summons to Vivek Kiran, son of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In the summons issued in 2023, the central agency directed him to appear for an interrogation related to a money laundering case.

Manorama has obtained a copy of the summons addressed to Vivek. It is learned that the summons was issued in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Life Mission housing project at Wadakkancherry, which surfaced during the ED’s investigation into the diplomatic gold smuggling case.

The notice was sent by P K Anand, who was then the Assistant Director of the ED’s Kochi Zonal Office. As per he document, Vivek was instructed to appear before the agency’s Kochi office at 10 am on February 14, 2023. However, he did not appear for questioning.

Interestingly, it was on the very night of that same day that M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, was arrested following three days of continuous interrogation.

The ED notice reveals the hitherto unknown details about the Life Mission probe, which led to the arrest of M Sivasankar, a close aide of the Chief Minister and even brought the investigation’s focus to Cliff House and the Chief Minister’s son at one point.

However, it remains unclear what further action, if any, was initiated against Vivek, who failed to appear before the ED as directed. There are indications that the agency also sought details about Vivek from UAE authorities, as he was employed in Abu Dhabi at the time. What transpired thereafter, however, remains unknown.

The summons issued to Vivek carried the reference number KCZO/2023/769, with KCZO denoting the Kochi Zonal Office. When the authenticity of the summons was verified using the ED’s online verification system, confirmation was available that it was indeed a genuine notice issued to Vivek. The ED website has also listed details of Vivek, including his name, under the section 'Verify Your Summons'.

The summons was issued under subsections (2) and (3) of Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Subsection (2) empowers the investigating officer to summon any person to produce documents or evidence, while subsection (3) stipulates that proceedings under subsection (2) shall be treated as judicial proceedings.

Son of Pinarayi Vijayan
The summons sent to Vivek Kiran, son of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and addressed to Cliff House, Thiruvananthapuram, stated, “I believe the presence of Vivek Kiran is essential in the case being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. You are hereby directed to appear at my office at 10.30 am on February 14, 2023.”

The notice also included a list of documents to be produced during the appearance, such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, bank account details and particulars of assets held in the names of relatives, among others.

Life Mission Project scam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had investigated allegations of bribery transactions worth crores linked to the Life Mission flat complex project at Wadakkancherry, which was intended to provide houses for victims of the 2018 floods.

To implement the project, Red Crescent, a UAE-based voluntary organisation, had transferred funds to the State Government through the UAE Consulate. However, the ED later found that Santosh Eapen, Managing Partner of Unitac Builders, had paid ₹4.40 crore as bribes to M Sivasankar, the then Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and certain officials of the UAE Consulate in exchange for awarding the construction contract.

The agency also uncovered the involvement of several others, including Swapna Suresh, P S Sarith and Sandeep Nair, who were already accused in the diplomatic gold smuggling case. The ED investigated the Life Mission case alongside the diplomatic gold smuggling case, and the matter is currently pending before the Economic Offences Court in Kochi.