Kodakara Hawala case: Thiroor Satheesh's revelations stir up political storm

Thrissur: Former BJP office secretary Thiroor Satheesh's revelation that the money seized in the 2021 Kodakara heist was hawala cash and meant for the BJP has kicked up a political storm in Kerala ahead of the bypolls.

Opposition Leader VD Satheesan on Friday said that the Kodakara hawala case revealed an alliance between the CPM and BJP. Satheesan alleged that the Kerala Police had been aware of these details but chose not to disclose them. He also claimed that collusion took place in the Manjeshwar bribery case.

BJP denies allegations
BJP State President K Surendran dismissed the allegations on Friday, stating that he has no time to entertain baseless accusations without evidence. He insisted there is no connection between the BJP and the Hawala case. “I'm named in 346 cases. Have I ever refused to adhere to the law? There is no evidence against me in any of these cases,” he said, adding that any central investigation into the case would require substantial evidence.

Earlier, UDF candidate Rahul Mankoottathil from Palakkad had alleged that the Directorate of Enforcement and Kerala Police were vying to protect Surendran in the Kodakara hawala case. Mankoottathil pointed to internal conflicts within the BJP as the reason for the revelations and challenged the plausibility of Surendran’s claim of controlling the BJP office secretary. He questioned whether the BJP-CPM alliance in Kodakara reduced the party's symbol to a mere token in Palakkad.

BJP District President KK Aneesh Kumar also dismissed Thiroor Satheesh's claim as politically motivated and stated that Satheesh had been dismissed from the party for financial misconduct. He accused Satheesh of working with the CPM for personal financial gain. Satheesh has clarified that he voluntarily took leave from the BJP over a year ago for personal reasons.

Allegation by Thiroor Satheesh
According to Thiroor Satheesh, cash-filled bags labelled as election campaign materials arrived at the party’s district office at 11 pm on April 2, 2021. He said the money was transported with the knowledge of District President Aneesh Kumar.

Although he did not know the exact amount, Satheesh mentioned that Dharmarajan, a businessman and party supporter, had brought the funds. He was also instructed to rent out a room for Dharmarajan. Though party leaders usually provided him with details of the person in such cases, Satheesh said no details were provided on this occasion. Satheesh admitted he assisted with moving the bags into the office, where the cash was stored in the room typically used by the party’s general secretaries.

He also recounted feeling uneasy after realising that the bags contained cash and took steps to secure the room. The money was later stolen during transport, a theft Satheesh only learned of the next day. He was an office secretary then, so he didn’t disclose these details to the police.

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.

Govindan calls for investigation
CPM State Secretary MV Govindan on Friday demanded a thorough probe into the allegations, claiming Thiroor Satheesh's recent revelations indicate that crores were funneled into BJP offices during the election period. He alleged that similar instances of money distribution may have also occurred during the by-elections, adding the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has shown no interest in investigating the case, suggesting political bias.

"The term ‘Kodakara Hawala Case’ itself may need to be reconsidered," Govindan remarked, referencing Satheesh’s statement that six sacks of election funds were delivered to the BJP office on instructions from district and state leaderships. Govindan claimed that reports now suggest a total of Rs 41.6 crore was funnelled for election distribution and alleged that the BJP’s national leadership was aware of this cash inflow intended to influence the election.

Govindan criticised the ED for only pursuing cases involving opposition leaders and urged an impartial investigation. While Kerala Police had submitted a detailed report, Govindan noted that the ED has yet to act on the matter.

In response to BJP’s claim that the CPM had “bought off” Thiroor Satheesh, Govindan dismissed the accusation as baseless, likening it to comments made by BJP leader Suresh Gopi. He also alleged that the BJP continues to use hawala money for the current elections.

Govindan said opposition leader VD Satheesan's stance on the matter shielded the Income Tax and ED and accused the Congress leader of attempting to sabotage the Kodakara case. Govindan alleged it was the Congress and BJP that had an understanding.