VD Satheesan alleges huge percentage of ED officials are corrupt
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Kochi: Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan on Sunday accused a significant portion of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials of corruption, claiming the agency was being misused to target political opponents rather than fulfilling its intended role.
Satheesan's remarks came in response to reporters' questions regarding a senior ED official recently booked by the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in a corruption case.
He further alleged that the ED issues notices to individuals and then demands large sums—sometimes in crores—through intermediaries to settle cases.
"Such complaints are there against the ED across the country. I am not saying all ED officials are corrupt, but a huge percentage of them are. It is not doing the work it was set up for under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Not even one per cent of its cases are solved.
"It has been for a long time now only handling political cases and going after opponents of the ruling dispensation at the Centre. It is being used to harass the political opponents of the central government," the opposition leader told reporters here.
Satheesan further mentioned that the recent case against the ED official was the latest example and evidence of the corruption in the agency.
He also alleged a CPI(M)-BJP nexus in Kerala, claiming both sides were settling corruption cases against each other.
A Kochi-based ED officer has been booked as the first accused in a corruption case filed on a businessman’s complaint, according to the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Saturday.
Three individuals, including a chartered accountant, have already been arrested for allegedly demanding a ₹2 crore bribe to prevent the businessman from being implicated in an ED case.
The remand report submitted by the VACB names the ED official as the key accused.
While the other accused were arrested on Friday, the chartered accountant was taken into custody on Saturday, a senior VACB official confirmed.
The accused ED official is yet to be arrested.
(inputs from PTI)
