Vigilance to look into cases allegedly settled by ED, middlemen took bribes ranging from 1 crore to 3 crore; phone conversation puts ED on defensive

KOCHI: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has received information that middlemen have been collecting bribes ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crores to settle cases pending with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Although some individuals who paid these bribes have been identified, they are reportedly unwilling to file formal complaints. Efforts are underway to encourage them to speak out. Vigilance is also expanding its investigation to other cases allegedly settled by the ED and aims to expose further illicit transactions.

A crucial lead came from a phone conversation handed over to Vigilance by cashew entrepreneur Aneesh Babu, who voluntarily filed a complaint. This call, between Aneesh and the intermediary Wilson, has opened the door to further investigations. The call was publicly released yesterday. However, Vigilance has yet to find sufficient evidence to implicate ED Assistant Director Shekhar Kumar, the primary accused in the case involving a Rs 2 crore bribe demand. Although a bribe of Rs 2 crore was demanded from Aneesh, in the phone conversation, Wilson is heard saying that Rs 30 lakh should be kept ready as a token amount.

What is the “Big Case”?
In the call, Wilson refers to “one more big case” that he claims will ultimately come to him—something Vigilance is now trying to trace. Vigilance is working to gather details about all ED-registered cases in the past year to further investigate the bribery angle.

“Even Pinarayi’s daughter would kneel—this is that kind of team”
(Excerpt from the phone call between intermediary Wilson and complainant Aneesh Babu)

Wilson: As long as they benefit, there’s no issue. Prepare Rs 30 lakhs as a token.

Aneesh: What is the total amount needed to settle the matter?

Wilson: If the property is attached, it’s all over.

Aneesh: What assurance do I have that you won’t cause further problems?

Wilson: I’ll call and confirm that you're in the clear.

Aneesh: The Director asked if you want this settled.

Wilson: The Director doesn’t understand Malayalam. If we settle, I’ll make the call. If not, they’ll lock you up. This team is such that even Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter would kneel before them. A person from Thiruvananthapuram has already faced the consequences. He tried to create problems by approaching the court. He will soon be arrested. If you want to fight, go ahead.

Aneesh: Let’s avoid that kind of mess.

Wilson: The money is going to the department. Recently, we settled another case. There’s a big case coming up—it’ll land with me in the end.

Bail granted to bribe-taking middlemen is not a setback

The bail given to the middlemen isn’t a setback. Vigilance still has a full week to carry out questioning. The forensic report is yet to come in, and a notice has already been sent to the ED requesting the case files related to the complaint. We’re hopeful we’ll receive them soon.”

— S. Sasidharan,
Vigilance SP

ED Assistant Director's anticipatory bail petition filed in High Court
ED Assistant Director Shekhar Kumar, who is accused in the Vigilance case involving a Rs 2 crore bribe demand via a middleman, has filed an anticipatory bail petition in the High Court. In the petition, he claims he is innocent and alleges that the case is a malicious attempt to implicate him. The complaint comes from cashew businessman Aneesh Babu, who allegedly wants to escape ED action.

Aneesh has been under ED scrutiny since 2021 for allegedly defrauding several traders of crores of rupees by promising to import cashew at reduced rates. He faces five police cases across various stations. The effort now, the ED claims, is to derail the proceedings that began in 2021. The ED argues there is no link between the complainant and the second accused, Wilson, and no financial transactions or other evidence connecting them. This was stated in the anticipatory bail application submitted through senior advocate P. Vijayabhanu. The petition will be considered in the coming days.