Kozhikode: Hasan Waris, a friend of CPM state secretariat member and Beypore MLA P A Mohammed Riyas, has filed a retraction affidavit withdrawing his statement against the politician, alleging that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) forced him to give it by threatening to implicate his 22-year-old daughter in a false case.

Waris said the statement ED officials recorded after a raid at his house on August 18 was not voluntary. He alleged that officials pressured him to say Riyas had handed over large sums of money to him and that he had transferred the money to a person named Faijas in Dubai through illegal channels at Riyas's instructions.

“From the beginning of the questioning, ED officials forced me to state that Mohammed Riyas had handed over large sums of money to me and that, on his instructions, I sent the money to a person named Faijas in Dubai through illegal means,” Waris said in the affidavit.

He denied receiving any money from Riyas or his relatives for transfer to Dubai and said he had not sent money to anyone on Riyas's instructions.

Waris alleged that ED officials threatened to make his younger daughter, a BArch student, a co-accused in the alleged transfer of money to Dubai and warned that she could be arrested and kept in jail for years without bail.

“I was forced to sign the statement after succumbing to severe pressure,” he said, adding that he did not agree with the contents of the statement dated August 18, 2026, and that it should be disregarded as it was not given voluntarily.

Riyas had on Thursday alleged that the ED had obtained a false statement against his friend by threatening to implicate his daughter.

“The ED obtained a false statement against me from a friend by threatening that his 22-year-old daughter would be made an accused in a false case. It is also a lie that Veena gave a statement saying that money had been taken abroad. The ED is spreading false information in the name of Veena's statement,” Riyas said.

He challenged the agency to investigate whether he had engaged in hawala transactions, saying that his business dealings in Dubai could be verified by examining the relevant documents.

The ED has alleged that Riyas illegally amassed ₹20.5 crore while serving as a minister and transferred a portion of the money to Dubai. The agency has also raised suspicions of hawala transactions.

According to ED sources, the agency has detailed financial transactions from 2024–25 in a 25-page letter sent to State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar. The letter reportedly contains statements, documents and other evidence related to the transactions.

The ED has also informed the state police that it has found evidence and documents corroborating money transactions recorded by T Veena, daughter of Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, in her diary.

According to the agency, the documents submitted along with the letter contain details of illegal transfers corresponding to amounts recorded in the diary. Veena's WhatsApp messages, details of money allegedly taken to Dubai and indications of hawala transactions have also been included, ED sources said.

The ED has alleged that Pinarayi Vijayan received ₹3.28 crore in bribes from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) on several occasions through Veena. ED sources said the agency came across details of the alleged hawala transactions while investigating the money laundering case related to the CMRL-Exalogic deal.