KOCHI: It has been over five months that former CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s son Bineesh Kodiyeri has been in jail in Bengaluru after he was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money laundering under Section 3 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Things look really tough for Bineesh for a possible release from jail in the near future as the possibility of a bail during the trial is rare.
Though Bineesh got a reprieve when Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) decided not to press any charges against him in the drug case as the agency could not get any sufficient evidence on his direct involvement, much now depends on the stand of ED, which has already filed a chargesheet in the case in its special court in Bengaluru.
ED sources said the possibility of a bail was remote during the trial as the agency will most likely oppose the plea. ED officials said the agency had collected strong evidence on the fund amassed by Bineesh through Anoop Mohammed, main accused in the drug trafficking case.
Considering the high profile of Bineesh and his influence, ED will oppose his bail during the trial. “Normally, in a case of this sort, the investigation agency does not prefer the accused to come out on bail because the accused could influence the witness and tamper with the evidence,” said a leading criminal lawyer.
The ED had claimed that Bineesh had used a “non-functional” restaurant opened in the name of Anoop in Bengaluru to launder money generated from the drug trade. ED also unearthed the bank account and the debit card used by Bineesh to withdraw the money deposited by Anoop. During the probe, the ED also found flow of funds into Bineesh’s accounts since 2012 and Bineesh could not explain the source of funds. “One of the main evidence is the IT returns filed by Bineesh which never reflected the fund flow into his account,” the officials said.