Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday told the Assembly that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) raided the office of Chandrika, the newspaper published by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), based on a specific complaint that the accused in the Palarivattom flyover case had channelled unaccounted money, estimated at ₹10 crore, to the accounts of the 80-year-old institution.
IUML legislator and former Public Works Department (PWD) Minister V. K. Ebrahim Kunju is an accused in the case along with six others, including his former secretary T.O. Sooraj.
Mr. Vijayan said VACB investigators who inspected the office on Tuesday did not disrupt its functioning or the publication of the newspaper.
He said the complainant had alleged that Mr. Kunju had used the accounts of Chandrika to launder the money he had “exacted” from the builder of the now decommissioned flyover.
Mr. Vijayan said the investigators were armed with a court warrant to search the office. The VACB seized 34 documents, two compact discs, and one hard disc from the newspaper office.
Mr. Kunju told the Assembly that the cash found in Chandrika’s accounts was the fee and contribution the management had collected from subscriptions. He tabled documents which he said proved his claim. He said income tax officials had inspected the records and found it to be true. He said the case against him was politically motivated and flimsy.
The matter came up during the discussion and voting for demands on grants for police in the Budget for the financial year 2020-21.
