Officials attached to the Sub-Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kozhikode on Wednesday recorded the statement of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders, including State general secretary K.P.A. Majeed and Kannur district general secretary Abdul Kareem Cheleri, in connection with a bribery case of sanctioning Plus Two courses for an aided school at Azhikode in Kannur district in 2014.
The ED is probing the case registered based on Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case was that Plus Two courses were sanctioned in the school after collecting a bribe from the management. Notices had been earlier issued to 30 persons for either recording their statements or questioning.
The recording of statements of Mr. Majeed and Mr. Cheleri, which began in the morning, continued till the evening, sources said.
It is also learnt that the ED has sent a notice to IUML legislator K.M. Shaji, who represented Azhikode Assembly segment in Kannur district. The bribery case first surfaced when a former IUML local leader Noushad Poothappara raised the allegation. Investigators recorded the statement of Mr. Poothappara on Tuesday.
The ED is expected to question Mr. Shaji in this regard on November 10 and also record the statements of representatives of school management and PTA office-bearers, sources said.
Previously the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) had registered an FIR at the Thalassery court stating that Mr. Shaji had allegedly taken a bribe of ₹25 lakh for allotting Plus Two courses in the aided school in his Assembly segment.
The VACB had taken up the case after local CPI(M) leader and block panchayat president Kuduvan Padmanabhan forwarded a complaint to the Chief Minister.
However, Mr. Shaji had earlier said the case was slapped on him out of political vengeance and that he would fight the case legally and politically.
