The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) reported questioning of former Excise Minister K. Babu on January 16 over allegations of illegal amassment of wealth has triggered speculation that the Central agency may register a case against him.
The interview that happened in Kochi was about the case registered against the Congress leader by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB). Officials said the ED could have received third party information from the VACB and might be probing whether there was any money laundering angle to the case against Mr Babu.
After the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government assumed power in 2016, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) had registered a “disproportionate assets” case against him.
The agency had accused Mr Babu of amassing illegal wealth, an estimated 49.45% of his known income, during his tenure as Excise Minister in the Oomen Chandy government.
Reprieve under UDF
Earlier, under the United Democratic Front (UDF) regime, the VACB had pedalled back from booking Mr Babu on the charge of nepotism and corruption in the allotment of new bar licences. It had filed a quick verification report stating that the accusations levelled against Mr. Babu by office-bearers of the Kerala Bar Hotel Association in sworn statements in various courts were baseless.
Mr. Babu has moved the Kerala High Court to dismiss the illegitimate wealth case slapped against him by the agency. He told reporters in Thrissur that the VACB had victimised him. The ED directorate questioned him to find out whether there was any integrity in the VACB’s charge that he had earned over ₹100 crore through corrupt means, he said.
