Kerala: Satheesan ‘welcomes’ ED probe in FCRA violation case; says ‘will cooperate’
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan, on Saturday (July 1) welcomed an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe against him in connection with foreign funding for a housing project in 2018 and said he would fully cooperate with the agency.
“It is natural that the ED would probe a case in which the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) had conducted a preliminary inquiry,” he told reporters in front of the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.
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The VACB recently initiated a probe against Satheesan in a case related to receiving foreign funds from abroad for a project in his constituency, allegedly violating the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The LoP said the VACB has no jurisdiction to investigate the allegations made in the complaint against him. “The ED is the agency that should investigate the complaint of FCRA violation. The same complainants petitioned the ED three years ago, following which the central agency had checked all the accounts,” he said.
LoP blames LDF govt
The state government knows very well that the ED probe would take place if the VACB investigates the case, he said. That is why the LDF government tried to bring the Leader of Opposition before the central agency, he alleged.
“I will cooperate with the investigation completely. With the ED investigation, at least there will be some let-up in the allegation being made for several years….So I welcome the probe,” the Congress leader added.
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Satheesan said he would submit all documents to the central agency to prove that the allegations against him were false and fabricated.
After the 2018 deluge in the state, Satheesan had initiated a project, Punarjani, to construct accommodation for those who lost their houses in the floods. The complaint sought to investigate FCRA violations and Satheesan’s foreign trips seeking support for the project.
(With agency inputs)
