ED moves SC against Karnataka HC bail order to Kerala CPM leader Kodiyeri's son

New Delhi: Challenging the bail granted by the Karnataka High Court to Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kerala CPIM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court. Bineesh is facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act-2002.

The agency in its plea said that "averments made in the complaints, statements of the accused, the affidavit filed by the officials of the Enforcement Directorate clearly disclose that there are sufficient material to contend that the accused committed the offence of money laundering".

"Documents clearly disclose that there are shady transactions under which huge amounts were deposited, transferred and withdrawn. There is no proper explanation for any of these transactions. The cash deposits as highlighted in the complaint totals Rs 6 crore. But no such transactions were disclosed by Bineesh in his Income Tax Returns," said the probe agency in its appeal against the HC order dated October 28, 2021.

It said the HC had failed to appreciate that he had filed five bail applications, all of which were rejected and "there is no change of circumstances in the present case".

Bineesh was arrested on October 29, 2020, in the course of the investigation after 60 grams MDMA pills, Rs 2.2 lakh cash and other documents were recovered from one Mohammed Anoop, who is the accused number 1 in the case, by the Narcotics Control Bureau from Bengaluru. Anoop's arrest led the NCB sleuths to his alleged associate Rajesh Ravindram from whom it seized "40 grams MDMA pills and 180 blots of LSD (2.9 grams)", besides several documents.

The agency said Anoop in his statement made under Section 50(3) of the PMLA Act admitted that he dealt in narcotics and was "closely linked with Bineesh".