Kerala awaits legal opinion on ED letter seeking case against Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government is awaiting legal advice on an ED communication seeking corruption cases against Pinarayi Vijayan and two others.
The Kerala government is awaiting legal opinion on a communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that calls for registering a corruption case against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena and former Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who is Ms. Veena's husband. The matter relates to alleged corruption in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case.
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the information, received under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was first handed to the State Police Chief and later forwarded to the Home Secretary. When the Home Secretary sought guidance, the matter was referred for legal counsel.
"The government expects to receive the legal opinion shortly, after which an appropriate decision will be taken in consultation with the Chief Minister," Mr. Chennithala said, adding that the relevant files and reports had been submitted to the Advocate General for review.
On the controversy over the raid at the Reporter TV office, the Home Minister defended the Kerala Police and said the government's approach had been transparent. He rejected allegations of high-handedness and of encroachment on media freedom.
Mr. Chennithala said the Kalamassery police had registered an FIR against the Reporter Broadcasting Company over alleged financial fraud and tax evasion linked to a failed attempt to bring the Argentina national football team and its former captain Lionel Messi to Kochi for an international friendly. Search warrants were obtained from the court before searches were carried out simultaneously at five locations.
Citing police confirmation, he said no journalist had been mistreated or intimidated, broadcasting had not been disrupted for even a second, and the entire search had been videographed in the presence of independent witnesses to ensure legal compliance. He added that all police actions remained subject to judicial scrutiny and could be challenged in court.
The Minister also said the government had no role in deciding the course of the investigation, and that the Special Investigation Team had been given complete autonomy in its operations.