New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate has recorded the statement of businessman Aneesh Babu, who had filed a case against an ED official in Kerala, accusing him of demanding a Rs 2 crore bribe to settle a case.

The ED officer, however, has denied this and said the businessman registered a complaint to wiggle out of the case.

Aneesh Babu was summoned by the ED to its New Delhi office on May 30 to record his statement. But he failed to appear, though there was a clear direction given by the High Court of Kerala for his appearance on the day.

Therefore, the fresh summons was issued to him on June 4 for his appearance on June 6. Babu appeared on June 6 and gave his voluntary statement under his signature.

The statement was recorded according to the Supreme Court’s direction with audio and video recording under CCTV.

⁠Sources in the agency said that during his statement, he denied knowledge of the involvement of an ED officer in the VACB (Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau) case and stated that “he knows only Mr. Wilson”. ⁠

In his voluntary statement with ED, he had mentioned that more than 100 phone calls were made with Wilson through encrypted communication like WhatsApp calls, but he could not produce any evidence against the same, the sources mentioned.

⁠He has also stated that he doesn’t have any evidence against the involvement of ED officers.

The sources said that it also appeared that Kerala vigilance was “guiding” Aneesh Babu throughout the process of appearing on ED summons.

Aneesh Babu and his parents, Anitha Babu and Babu George, are involved in Kerala Police Crime for cheating various people for Rs 24 crore and also involved in Trade Based Money Laundering as per the PMLA, and they are accused in the PMLA case, the sources said.

The case is related to swindling money/ Foreign Exchange in the name of the import of cashew to India from Africa.

As per the sources, Babu has never cooperated with the ED investigations so far and always moved even higher Constitutional Courts, invoking writ jurisdiction, which were dismissed.

“He is making allegations against ED and ED officers with a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of ED and ED officers using visual and print media. This is done whenever he is called to cooperate with ED investigations. It is clear from the beginning that this is to escape from the clutches of law, as action was taken against them under the law for the offence of Money Laundering committed by them,” said the sources.

The Kerala High Court on May 29 directed not to arrest the businessman, Aneesh Babu, who raised allegations of bribery against the Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate, Ernakulam Office.

More details and confirmations are awaited as the case unfolds.

–IANS

dpb/