Thrissur: Congress leader Anil Akkara on Monday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Union Finance Ministry, seeking legal action against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's son, Vivek Kiran, for failing to appear for questioning in the Life Mission money laundering case in 2023. 

The Life Mission scam pertains to the construction of apartments in Wadakkanchery, Thrissur, funded by the UAE Red Crescent for families affected by the 2018 Kerala floods. According to ED, Unitac Builders, which carried out the project, allegedly paid a commission of ₹4.5 crore to middlemen, including state representatives.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also registered a case over violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act based on Akkara’s earlier complaint. Congress leaders recently alleged a CPM-BJP nexus, claiming that although ED summoned Vivek Kiran in February 2023, he failed to appear, and no further action was taken.

In his email to the Secretary of the Revenue Department, Finance Ministry, and ED Director, Akkara said that "Vivek Kiran, of Cliff House, Thiruvananthapuram (the Chief Minister’s residence), should be treated as an accused in the case". He argued that custodial interrogation of the CM’s son is essential to prevent delays in the trial and attempts to sabotage the case.

Akkara also urged the agencies to trace Khaled Mohamed Ali Shoukry, former finance head at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, who remains absconding, so that proceedings can move forward. He added that while other accused persons had revealed the CM’s son’s involvement, it remains unclear why he was not questioned, whereas former principal secretary to the Chief Minister, M Sivasankar, was arrested soon after his ED appearance.

The CM is yet to respond to the allegations. Education Minister V Sivankutty dismissed them as a “politically motivated conspiracy.”