Kochi: Revealing crucial details in the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank fraud case, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), in its affidavit to the High Court, submitted that Industries Minister P Rajeeve pressured the former secretary of the bank to sanction illegal loans. As per the affidavit, former bank secretary Sunil Kumar dropped Rajeeve's name while deposing before the central agency.

According to Sunil's statement, Rajeeve exerted pressure on him to approve illegal loans when the former was CPM Ernakulam district secretary. There are also references to CPM leaders A C Moideen and Paloli Mohammedkutty in the affidavit. A petition was filed in the High Court stating that a person involved in the scam had frozen their bank account, on which the court sought an explanation from the ED. The agency made the revelations about Rajeeve and others in the affidavit filed in this regard.

"Right from local to district committee leaders of the CPM, there was great pressure on the bank to sanction loans illegally. Minister P Rajeeve's name is one among them," stated ED. The affidavit also mentioned several secret accounts were opened in Karuvannur in the name of various area and local committees of the CPM. According to ED, crores of rupees were laundered by the CPM in the name of party building funds, area conference souvenirs, and party and election funds through these accounts.