Thrissur: Following the recent revelations made by a former BJP office secretary against senior BJP leaders in Kerala, the LDF government has decided to conduct further investigation into the 2021 Kodakara hawala case. The decision came after a meeting between the chief minister and the DGP. Former BJP office secretary Thiroor Satheesh’s statement will be recorded in detail.
The decision by the state government to approach the High court comes after the CPM state secretariat where Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had participated along with other senior leaders of the party. In the secretariat all senior leaders have demanded that the case should be further pursued. However, BJP leadership has completely downplayed the allegations and the CPM and Congress leader’s statements against senior BJP leaders including Surendran and KK Aneesh Kumar.
The government will inform the court of the new developments in the case and seek permission for further investigation. Satheesh’s revelation that the money seized in the Kodakara heist was hawala cash and meant for the BJP has kicked up a political storm ahead of the by-polls in Kerala.
Since the Thrissur Rang DIG-led Special Investigation Team, formed to probe the case, already submitted the charge sheet to the court, further investigation can only happen with the judiciary’s permission.
Thiroor Satheesh’s allegation against BJP
According to Thiroor Satheesh, cash-filled bags labelled as election campaign materials arrived at the party’s Thrissur district office at 11 pm on April 2, 2021. He said the hawala money was transported with the knowledge of district president Aneesh Kumar.
The Kodakara Hawala case
On April 4, 2021, just three days before the Kerala assembly elections, a staged accident at 4.40 am in Kodakara led to the hijacking of a vehicle carrying Rs 3.5 crore. The Special Investigation Team later determined this money was intended as BJP funds, transported from Karnataka to the BJP district treasurer in Alappuzha. The first charge sheet submitted to the Irinjalakuda First Class Magistrate Court listed 23 arrests and 19 witnesses, including BJP leaders. Of the looted amount, Rs 1.4 crore remains unaccounted for is the case pertaining in the matter.
