The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday served yet another notice to CM Raveendran, additional private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to appear at the ED office in Kochi on December 10. This is the third notice given to him by the agency.
A day after he was served the first notice by the central agency, he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. After his isolation period ended, a second notice was issued to him on November 25, but he was hospitalised within hours after he complained of breathing problems. Since then, he has been discharged. He is reportedly going to be questioned over the money laundering case attached to the gold smuggling case.
The third notice comes close on the heels of the ED’s request to the Kerala Registration Department to give it a list of properties owned by Raveendran.
Posted as an Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Minister, the investigation agency see Raveendran as a CPI-M nominee as he had served key positions in various Left democratic Front governments.
A native of Kozhikode district, Raveendran has been a vital cog between the party and the top leaders of the CPI(M) and was on the personal staff of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in 2006-11, when he was the Home Minister in the VS Achuthanandan government.
The agency has also reportedly started a probe into Raveendran's various business ventures, based on a few complaints which it had received. Earlier, the ED had conducted various raids at different establishments in Kozhikode district reportedly in connection with Raveendran's involvement in the case.
There are also allegations that ED scheduled the questioning date as December 10 with some political intentions as the second phase of the Kerala local body elections is on the same day. However, the CPI(M) acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan told reporters in Kollam said that receiving summons doesn't mean one is guilty.
With IANS inputs