Karuvannur financial fraud case: ED to question former MP PK Biju; notice to appear on Thursday

KOCHI: ED sends notice again to CPM leaders in Karuvannur bank financial fraud case. The Enforcement Directorate has sent notices to former MP PK Biju and Councilor MR Shajan. It has been informed in the notice that PK Biju should appear on Thursday. MR Shajan is scheduled to appear on Friday. Both are currently members of the Karuvannur scam probe committee appointed by the CPM.

The ED had earlier asked CPM Thrissur district secretary MM Varghese to appear, and he was asked to appear on Wednesday. However, it is not yet clear whether he will do so. MM Varghese had earlier responded that the investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was a political move. He responded that the CPM has nothing to hide about the Karuvannur bank fraud case and has handed over account information up to the area committee to the ED.

The ED has informed the Central Election Commission, the Reserve Bank of India and the Union Finance Ministry that the CPM has five secret accounts in the Karuvannoor Cooperative Bank in Thrissur where the loan fraud of crores took place and through which transactions of crores were made. According to the letter issued by the ED, the party has 25 accounts in cooperative banks in the district without following the cooperative rules.

Earlier, ED had asked MM Varghese for the investigation reports, but he did not provide the same to them. The same was requested from PK Biju and MR Shajan but they also did not give the reports. The revelations that put the CPM on the defensive came in a letter issued by the ED last January as part of its investigation into the Rs 150 crore Karuvannur scam.