KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the petitioner, who filed a complaint against former public works minister V K Ebrahim Kunju alleging illegal money transactions involving crores of rupees during the time of demonetisation, to implead the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a party in the case as the matter comes under the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The court issued the order on the petition filed by G Girish Babu of Kalamassery seeking a vigilance probe in the case.
The petitioner alleged that Rs 10 crore was deposited by Sameer, a member of the director board of Chandrika daily, into the daily’s account at the Market road branch of Punjab National Bank on November 15, 2016. The same day, several crores of rupees were deposited by Sameer into the daily’s account at SBI’s Kaloor branch.
The source of the money had not been disclosed. These were benami transactions on behalf of the IUML leader and former minister, submitted the petitioner..
ED has to look into the deals
The court orally observed that the ambit of the official duty of the VACB is confined to practices while it is for the ED to look into the illegal money transactions.