Central agencies poised to put Kerala's new government to test

A CBI officer part of the probe into the violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in the Wadakkanchery LIFE Mission project said the investigation will enter a crucial phase soon.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a meeting held as part of the election campaign in Kochi. (Photo | Albin Mathew, EPS)
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a meeting held as part of the election campaign in Kochi. (Photo | Albin Mathew, EPS)

KOCHI: Though the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government has returned to power with a landslide majority by successfully negating the slew of controversies it faced in its previous term, the new government is also not likely to have it easy.

The probe by various central agencies into the allegations surrounding the LIFE Mission housing project and the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) will resume once the Covid-19 situation in the state improves.

The LDF government had faced challenges from central agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Customs, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax as part of their probes into cases such as Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling, LIFE Mission, dollar smuggling and KIIFB.

Though the investigation by Customs, ED and NIA into the gold smuggling incident has been completed, the CBI probe into LIFE Mission, customs probe into dollar smuggling case, and ED probe into KIIFB and SNC Lavalin are still under way.

A CBI officer part of the probe into the violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in the Wadakkanchery LIFE Mission project said the investigation will enter a crucial phase soon. "Our probe into the money accepted by Unitac builders from the UAE was covered in the first phase. In the next stage, we will probe the involvement of LIFE Mission officials and people like Swapna Suresh and Sarith P S in the case. As part of this, notices will be issued to people involved. Even when the new government comes to power, our probe will continue in its right course," the official said.

The customs team probing the US dollar smuggling by former UAE Consulate Finance Department head Khalid Ali Shoukry will also resume the probe soon. The customs probe was hit by the pandemic after several officers contracted the virus. 

Swapna and Sarith had also named former speaker P Sreeramakrishnan in the case. Though the customs had questioned him for three hours last month. "The interrogation of Sreeramakrishnan hasn’t been completed yet. He has recovered from COVID and we will summon him again. The interrogation of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s wife is also pending," a Customs official said.

The ED is also conducting a probe into transactions made by KIIFB and as part of the sensational SNC Lavalin case. "The ED had sent notices to Lavalin India Director, which was challenged at Kerala High Court and the verdict is pending. The ED has also questioned KIIFB authorities and is likely to record the statement of former finance minister Thomas Isaac. The investigation will be on even if the government changes in Kerala. We are collecting evidence in both cases. The probe is only in the initial stage," the ED sources said.

Testing times ahead

The LDF government had faced challenges from central agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Customs, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax as part of their probes into cases such as Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling, LIFE Mission, dollar smuggling and KIIFB. 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com