ED seeks financial records of Ernakulam Press Club over Monson Mavunkal-sponsored event
In the notice dated July 11, the agency has asked the press club to provide information on the source of funding for the event, along with its bank account numbers.
The notice is part of the ED's ongoing investigation against Monson and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe aims to scrutinise the financial dealings surrounding the sponsored event and determine if any irregularities were involved.
In the notice, the agency has also sought information on funds received by the press club to date and their utilisation, as well as the total expenditure and the source of expenses for the 2020 family meet. The agency has marked the request as most urgent.
Commenting on the development, an ED official stated, 'The notice was issued last week as part of the ongoing investigation against Monson under the PMLA. It is a routine step seeking expenditure details related to the press club's 2020 family meet, in which Monson contributed funds.'
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam Press Club has confirmed receipt of the notice. 'We received the ED notice, but I couldn't respond immediately due to health issues and hospitalisation. The event in question was held during the tenure of a former committee headed by Philipose Mathew as president and Sasikanth as secretary,' said M Shajil Kumar, the current secretary of the Ernakulam Press Club.
He further clarified that the office staff remains unchanged since then and has confirmed that no such transaction was made through the press club's official bank account. 'We can access the complete bank transaction history and have audited financial reports,' he said.
'As we have nothing to hide, we have directed the staff to gather all related documents. Further steps will be decided after an urgent meeting of the club's executive committee,' he added.
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