ED summons Kerala CPI(M) MLA Moideen on Monday in money-laundering case

Kochi, Aug 31 (IANS) A day after CPI(M) legislator and former Kerala minister A.C. Moideen expressed his inability to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 31, the probe agency on Thursday served another notice summoning him at its office here on Monday.

According to sources, the ED investigations revealed that Rs 150 crore was siphoned off  from Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank Ltd in Thrissur, where Moideen hails from and served as the district party's secretary a few years back.

On August 22, the ED conducted raids at Moideen's Thrissur residence in connection with a money laundering case.

Two days later, he was summoned in the probe agency's office on August 31 for questioning, but he sought a few more days.

But this morning, in a fresh notice, the ED asked him to appear before it on Monday along with I-T returns' details of the past decade.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) and its party state secretary M.V. Govindan defended the top party leader, terming the August 22 raid "politically motivated" ahead of the Puthuppally by-election.

Surprisingly, he has been asked to appear a day before the by-election.

Reacting to the development, one of the key contesting parties- Congress-led UDF said that the outcome of the bypoll would be an assessment of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government.

According to the sources, ED is in hot pursuit of Moideen because its investigation has revealed that on the instruction of certain persons, who were district level leaders and committee members of a "certain" political party, and held top positions in the bank, loans were disbursed by the Bank Manager through the agent in cash to "non-member benamis" by mortgaging properties of not so well-off individuals without their knowledge.

Apparently, a number of  "benami loans" were disbursed on the instructions of Moideen.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, former manager of the Karuvannur Bank -- Biju Karim, and two other persons -- both middlemen, were questioned by the central agency. The interrogation is scheduled to continue on Thursday as well.