The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recorded the statement of Kerala businessman Aneesh Babu, who previously accused an officer of the agency of corruption. His deposition took place at the ED&rsquo;s New Delhi office on June 6, during which he denied having any knowledge or evidence against the accused officer, according to media reports.
Babu&rsquo;s statement was recorded under the provisions of Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), using an audio-visual system, as mandated by law. This form of documentation is admissible in court. The businessman had initially moved the Kerala High Court challenging the ED&rsquo;s summons.&nbsp;
The court instructed him to appear before the agency on May 30, but he failed to comply and instead responded to a second notice for June 6.
The allegations stemmed from a case filed by the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in Ernakulam. The VACB registered an FIR against Sekhar Kumar, an Assistant Director at the ED&rsquo;s Kochi office, along with several others. It was claimed that intermediaries demanded Rs two crore from Babu to resolve a money laundering case filed against him in March 2021.
In response, the ED&rsquo;s Special Task Force in Delhi initiated an investigation under PMLA, taking cognisance of the VACB&rsquo;s FIR and listing Kumar as the primary accused. However, during his statement, Babu reportedly disassociated the ED officer from the case, stating he knew only one individual named Wilson.
Wilson and two associates had earlier been arrested by VACB for accepting a Rs 2 lakh bribe from Babu, purportedly to help settle the ED matter. Babu told the ED he was unable to provide proof of his earlier claim regarding over a hundred WhatsApp calls with Wilson, nor could he submit any supporting material for the allegation.&nbsp;
Investigators discovered a transaction of Rs 50,000 from Babu to a shell company linked to the VACB case, which was subsequently reversed.
According to sources, the agency suspects that Babu may have been advised or influenced to target ED personnel stationed in Kerala. They also stated that he has not cooperated with the investigation into the alleged financial fraud and has repeatedly approached the courts to delay proceedings&mdash;none of which yielded him relief.
The original money laundering case against Babu, his father Babu George, and his mother Anitha Babu was based on five FIRs filed by the Kerala Police Crime Branch and Kottarakara Police. The trio were accused of defrauding several individuals of Rs 24.73 crore by falsely promising to import cashews from Africa at discounted rates through their firm, Vazhavila Cashews, based in Kottarakara.
Officials said the businessman has consistently avoided the ED&rsquo;s inquiries and has filed multiple petitions, including writ pleas, all of which were dismissed. According to agency sources, the allegations against the ED were &ldquo;calculated efforts to malign the agency&rsquo;s image&rdquo; and distract from the core investigation. They further suggested that the timing of the charges indicated an attempt to provoke a media spectacle.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said the bribery claims had undermined public faith in the ED and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take appropriate steps to restore the agency&rsquo;s integrity.
ED officer Sekhar Kumar has filed a petition in the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail. In his plea, Kumar stated that he has served the agency since 2014 and has maintained an unblemished service record. He assured the court that he would fully cooperate with the VACB inquiry and would not influence any witnesses or interfere with the evidence. The court granted him interim protection from arrest until June 11.
The court also extended similar relief to Babu, directing him to join the ED investigation into the bribery claims and instructing the agency not to take him into custody for the time being.
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(With inputs from agencies)
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Aneesh Babu tells ED he has no proof against officer he earlier accused in Rs 2 cr bribe case.

Kerala Bizman Withdraws Bribery Claim on ED Officer

Aneesh Babu tells ED he has no proof against officer he earlier accused in Rs 2 cr bribe case.

June 8, 2025 | 23:17 IST