KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a chargesheet against the CPM and several of its senior leaders, including Member of Parliament K Radhakrishnan, in connection with the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank money laundering case. The chargesheet was submitted before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Kochi, naming the CPM as the 68th accused in the case.
Among the prominent individuals listed are MLA A C Moideen (67th accused), MP K Radhakrishnan (70th accused), and former Thrissur District Secretary M M Varghese (69th accused). Other accused CPI(M) leaders include Wadakkanchery councillor Madhu Ambalapuram (64th), Porathussery North Local Committee Secretary A R Peethambaran (71st), Porathussery South Local Committee Secretary M Raju (72nd), and Irinjalakuda Area Committee Secretary K C Premarajan.
This supplementary chargesheet names 28 individuals, bringing the total number of accused to 83 across the two chargesheets filed so far in this case.
The ED’s investigation has revealed that approximately Rs 180 crore was laundered through fraudulent loans issued by the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank. Out of this, assets and properties worth Rs 128 crore have already been attached by the agency.
According to the chargesheet, "The party has committed crimes such as interfering in the functioning of the Karuvannur Bank, assisting the accused in fraudulently obtaining loans, and thereby cheating the bank, knowingly sharing the money acquired through fraud, possessing that money with the intention of using it in the future while misrepresenting it as untainted, and using that money to purchase assets."
Regarding the involvement of MP K Radhakrishnan, the ED states that during his tenure as CPI(M) Thrissur District Secretary from 2016 to 2018, the District Committee under his leadership knowingly facilitated the accused in obtaining the proceeds of crime. A portion of these funds was allegedly used by the party to raise funds and purchase property for a party office. Following Radhakrishnan’s tenure, the said property was reportedly acquired and registered in the name of M M Varghese, his successor.
Similarly, the ED has highlighted the role of MLA A C Moideen during his tenure as District Secretary from 2011 to 2016. The chargesheet notes that he too knowingly assisted the accused in securing fraudulent loans from the bank. It states, "Moideen, then Secretary of the Thrissur District Committee during the period 2011 to 2016, knowingly assisted the accused persons who availed illegal loans from the Karuvannur Service Co-operative Bank and is thereby guilty of the offence of money laundering."
