Pinarayi, Riyas face probe; Crime Branch to investigate monthly pay-off, hawala allegations

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government’s decision to order a preliminary Crime Branch inquiry into allegations of monthly pay-off and hawala transactions involving Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, former minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas and Veena Vijayan has put the CPM on the defensive. The party has said it will fight the matter both legally and politically.

The preliminary inquiry is based on a letter sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Director General of Police in connection with the CMRL-Exalogic monthly pay-off case. A special team under the supervision of Crime Branch ADGP H. Venkatesh will conduct the inquiry. The DGP will decide the members of the team.

No time limit has been fixed for the inquiry. No FIR has been registered at this stage. A case will be registered if any evidence is found. DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar told Kerala Kaumudi that if the Crime Branch finds evidence during its preliminary inquiry, a Vigilance investigation could also follow.

Advocate General K. Jaju Babu had advised that the Vigilance and Crime Branch could conduct preliminary inquiries into the monthly pay-off allegations and the alleged hawala transactions to Dubai, respectively. The decision to order the probe was taken during a meeting between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday morning.

The Home Minister later called DGP Ravada Chandrashekhar and Crime Branch chief H. Venkatesh and briefed them about the investigation. The ED’s letter had pointed to alleged offences that could attract charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Allegations raised by ED

1. According to the ED’s letter, the agency alleges that Rs 3.28 crore transferred between Veena Vijayan and CMRL between March 4, 2017 and May 18, 2019 was a bribe intended for Pinarayi Vijayan. However, the letter does not contain strong evidence directly linking Pinarayi to the alleged payment, according to the government’s position. The Home Department has therefore taken the view that a Vigilance case can be registered if the Crime Branch finds evidence of bribery.
2. The ED has alleged that more than Rs 25 crore in hawala money was transferred to Dubai for setting up business establishments and companies. The agency has cited evidence against Mohammed Riyas in this connection and has attached digital records and phone call details to its letter.
3. The DGP has taken the position that the alleged hawala transactions to Dubai should be investigated by the ED rather than the police, as the relevant documents are already with the central agency. However, he also said that there was no legal bar on the Crime Branch conducting an inquiry.

“The government cannot ignore the ED’s letter. The Supreme Court has ruled in the Lalita Kumari case that an FIR should not be registered without first establishing a prima facie case through a preliminary inquiry.”
- Ramesh Chennithala, Home Minister