Pinarayi Vijayan’s Additional Private Secretary to CM Raveendran appeared before the ED. (file)
Kochi:
CM Raveendran, Additional Private Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act in Life Mission, a flagship housing project of the state government.
The agency had earlier asked Mr Raveendran to appear on February 27, but he cited official duties for not appearing on that day.
Mr Raveendran reached the ED office at around 9.30 am and the interrogation is on.
Earlier, some media houses had released dubious chats between Sree and the main accused in the controversial gold smuggling through UAE consulate case Swapna Suresh.
The agency had earlier arrested M Shivshankar, former principal secretary to the chief minister, for his alleged involvement in the ED case.
The central agency had on February 18 questioned former CEO of Life Mission Project, UV Jose, in connection with the probe.
The CBI had registered an FIR in a Kochi court in 2020 under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 35 of the FCRA on the complaint of the then Wadakkanchery Congress MLA, Anil Akkara, listing Santosh Ippen, Managing Director of Unitech Builders, Kochi it was done. Sane Ventures as the first accused and the second accused.
The two companies were formed based on an agreement made with them by the Red Crescent, an international humanitarian movement, which agreed to provide Rs 20 crore for the Life Mission project.
The Congress alleges that corruption was involved in the selection of the contractor by the Red Crescent.
Alleged FCRA violations and corruption in the project had turned into a major political issue after opposition parties alleged that Suresh had confessed before an NIA court that he had received Rs 1 crore as commission from the project. He allegedly claimed that the money was meant for Shivshankar.
However, the CEO of Life Mission had submitted before the court that Unitach and Sane Ventures had formed based on the agreement entered into by Red Crescent with them and had accepted foreign contribution directly from Red Crescent, which is a foreign agency.
The CEO has also argued that the companies which have signed an agreement with the Red Crescent do not fall in the category of persons prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution as per Section 3 of the FCRA.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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