Kozhikode: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said bribery allegations against an ED officer in the state have damaged the agency’s credibility and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action to restore public trust in the ED.
Responding to a query about a case registered by the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in Ernakulam against an assistant director-rank officer of the ED’s Kochi office, Vijayan told a press conference that the incident had affected the credibility of the central agency.
He claimed that a “respected bishop” had publicly shared his own experience when the bribery complaint against the ED official came to light.
“In this circumstance, the Prime Minister should intervene. He should examine the issues related to it and take steps to restore the credibility of the agency by reconstituting it. The matters concerning it should be viewed seriously. In my opinion, the Prime Minister should intervene to initiate a detailed probe into the matter,” Vijayan said. He said there had been various complaints against the ED, including talk of financial irregularities. “However, no one had produced any evidence. Now, it has been caught red-handed. This has affected the credibility of the agency.”