Kozhikode: Former minister and CPM state secretariat member PA Mohammed Riyas on Thursday refuted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) report that he amassed ₹20.5 crore while serving as a minister and transferred a portion of the money to Dubai through hawala transactions. Terming the allegations baseless, he accused the ED of fabricating reports with the intention of character assassination.

Addressing the media in Kozhikode, Riyas said reports claiming that his wife, T Veena, daughter of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had admitted before the ED that she had not provided any services to CMRL were “an outright lie”.

Riyas said Veena had clearly explained to the ED the services she provided to CMRL. “All transactions between Veena and CMRL were conducted through legal channels and there was nothing illegal in them. However, ED officials threatened her and asked her to name her father, Pinarayi Vijayan. She never did so,” he said.

Riyas said if he or Veena had committed any offence, the ED could have initiated action years ago, as the investigation had been underway for several years. He alleged that the agency was now threatening people while recording statements and subsequently leaking fabricated statements to the media. “This practice cannot be accepted. We will fight this to any extent. The ED cannot intimidate us through threats,” Riyas said.

Responding to reports alleging that Veena was involved in a hawala transaction and had stayed in Dubai for two weeks around the time of the alleged transaction, Riyas said she had visited Dubai several times and that there was nothing illegal about her visits.

“The ED has miserably failed to prove its allegations in the CMRL case. Now they are fabricating a new story about a hawala transaction. We will fight to any extent to prove our innocence,” he said.

Riyas also criticised the Congress and the Chief Minister over their response to the ED allegations. Referring to statements by Congress national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, that the ED had become a tool for character assassination of political opponents, he asked the Congress leadership in Kerala to clarify whether it shared the same position.

Riyas further alleged that the ED was targeting him because of his political opposition to the BJP. He said he would continue to uphold his secular political position.