Bribery case: Kerala HC extends order restraining arrest of ED officer
Kochi: HC on Tuesday extended for two more weeks its earlier interim order restraining the arrest of Shekhar Kumar, assistant director of
Enforcement Directorate
(ED) in Kochi, who is facing a vigilance case for allegedly demanding Rs 2 crore bribe from a Kollam-based cashew trader to derail a money laundering probe.
Justice A Badharudeen is considering Kumar's pre-arrest bail plea. The state govt sought additional time to file its reply, citing the need to analyse digital data retrieved from the mobile phones of other accused, which had been sent for forensic examination. Granting the request, HC adjourned the matter to July 3.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew businessman, who alleged that ED officials demanded a bribe to halt proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The PMLA investigation followed a police case accusing Aneesh of cheating local traders by taking advance payments for imported cashew nuts without supplying the goods. According to the complaint, two middlemen, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, approached Aneesh on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to drop the investigation.
The vigilance officials arrested both middlemen, who, during interrogation, allegedly implicated Shekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused.
In a related development, Justice Kauser Edappagath on Tuesday closed the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Aneesh Babu in the PMLA case. The ED submitted that Babu had only been summoned as an informer and that there was no intent to arrest him. The court, recording the submission, closed his petition.
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