Karuvannur bank scam: CPM's PK Biju appears before ED

Thrissur: PK Biju, member of the CPM state secretariat and former MP, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in connection with the Karuvannur bank fraud case. 

Biju was called following the statement of the primary suspect Satheesh Kumar. CPM leader P.R. Aravindakshan, arrested in the case, also gave a statement against Biju. It is claimed that Satheesh handed Rs 5 lakh to Biju in 2020. The interrogation is expected to focus on this.

Biju told mediapersons this was the first time he was being summoned by the Central agency in connection with the case.

He said he would cooperate with the probe.

Biju was a member of the inquiry committee constituted by the CPM to probe the alleged fraud in the party-controlled bank.

Earlier, the ED had summoned several CPM leaders in the case. Recently, it summoned MM Varghese, the CPM Thrissur District Secretary, for questioning on April 3. However, Varghese did not appear, informing the agency that he would do so after the Lok Sabha elections. Disregarding his request, the ED issued another summons, rescheduling his appearance for April 5.

In its chargesheet, the ED alleged that the CPM maintained undisclosed bank accounts within the bank. Furthermore, the agency expressed its intention to investigate the involvement of senior party members in the scandal.

With PTI inputs