KOLLAM: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has given the BJP a clean chit in the 2021 Kodakara hawala case, drawing sharp criticism from Opposition Leader V D Satheesan. He accused the agency of shielding BJP leaders while aggressively targeting opposition figures.
“The ED has completely destroyed its credibility with the report in the Kodakara embezzlement case. They have convinced everyone that the ED is a system that behaves impartially. Nothing that was in the earlier police report is in the ED report. The ED has been cleanly saving the leaders of the ruling party at the national level. The ED, which is hunting down opposition political leaders, has cleanly saved the BJP leaders in Kerala,” said Satheesan.
He also alleged that the CPM was colluding with the BJP on corruption cases. “The cases filed by the central government against CPM leaders and the police against BJP leaders are going to end soon. It is yet to be seen whether central agencies would help CPM in the Karuvannur cooperative bank case,” he added.
The ED’s chargesheet, submitted before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Kochi, contradicts the Kerala Police’s findings. The police had earlier concluded that the money looted in the highway robbery was intended for the BJP’s campaign during the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections. However, none of the 23 accused named in the ED’s chargesheet have direct links to the BJP, effectively clearing the party of any involvement.
The case revolves around allegations that hawala funds from Karnataka, purportedly meant for the BJP’s election campaign, were looted near the Kodakara flyover on April 3, 2021, just three days before the state went to the polls.
