Corrupt in Enforcement Directorate also

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is one of the central investigative agencies empowered by law not only to investigate black money cases but also to arrest and imprison those found guilty. The ED also has the power to seize the assets of black money launderers. These powers given to the ED by law have made this agency a nightmare for black money dealers and money launderers. The allegation that the central governments are using these agencies politically to trap and silence their opponents has been present since the day this agency was formed. Even though there are political allegations, no one can deny the raids and other actions carried out by such agencies in the country. Therefore, questioning the purpose and objective of forming such an agency is not right as long as black money transactions are taking place on a large scale in the country.

Relatively, the most honest and capable officers work in such agencies. Since the people they catch and target are often big names, it is natural for them to be under various kinds of pressure. At that time, the officers do not fall for pressure and present the case in the courts based on clear evidence and documents found in the investigation. Therefore, it is said that those investigating black money should not lie under any circumstances. However, the bribery case of Shekhar Kumar, Assistant Director of the ED Kochi unit, who is the first accused in the vigilance case, proves that some worms have also infiltrated the ED.

The Vigilance case is that a case was filed against a businessman alleging that he had amassed wealth beyond his means and that a bribe of Rs 2 crore was demanded from the cashew businessman to settle the case, and Rs 2 lakh was taken as an advance. Apart from the ED Assistant Director, two agents who acted as middlemen and a chartered accountant from Kochi, Ranjith Warrier, have also been arrested. The remand report submitted by the Vigilance to the Moovattupuzha Vigilance Court contains many shocking details, including the involvement of ED officials. The report states that it is common for officials to pass information about those who appear as accused to the middlemen and then take bribes to close the case after bargaining. Normally, no one is willing to file a complaint against ED officials. Here, the ED has been implicated because the complainant gave a statement with accurate information.

Not only in the ED, but also in the Vigilance, there have been past histories and cases where cases were closed by taking bribes. However, criticising all such investigative agencies in the name of such incidents is not right. The harm of saying that the entire judiciary of the country is mired in corruption, on the pretext of finding bags of currency notes from the house of a Delhi High Court judge, will be suffered by the common citizens. The chances of a constitutional institution or central agency being infiltrated by individuals who sabotage its honest intentions are never zero. Such worms should be caught with proof and thrown out. It is necessary for the survival of the country that investigative agencies remain independent and honest.