Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt will conduct a legal scrutiny of Enforcement Directorate’s recommendation to the state police chief to register an FIR against opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case before taking a decision, chief minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday.Satheesan said ED had sent the communication to the state police chief under Section 66(2) of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). “A legal scrutiny will be completed and govt will take a decision. There is no politics in it. The law will take its own course,” he said.The chief minister said govt could not simply reject the communication because it came from a central agency. The material sent by ED, including evidence, would have to be examined. “Should we not examine the seriousness of matters that have been brought to our notice? Evidence has also been sent. Should we not examine all that? After legal scrutiny, a decision will be taken,” he said.Satheesan said ED’s communication covered matters beyond CMRL-Exalogic case. “It is not just about this case that ED has sent (the report). It is beyond that,” he said, without elaborating.The chief minister rejected suggestions that govt had already decided to register a case. Responding to CPM’s criticism of the ED move, he said political parties receiving funds from companies or institutions could not be equated with the evidence in the present case.Satheesan said CPM was facing strong criticism over the case and that justification had become its principal response. Drawing a parallel with ED’s investigation against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, he said they had appeared before the agency for questioning and the party had cooperated with the investigation.“Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi appeared for hours for questioning and giving evidence when the ED case came. Congress workers outside did not attack or smash ED vehicles,” he said, referring to CPM protesters’ attack on ED officials here in May. Congress had fully cooperated with the investigation while pointing out that the ED action had political motives, he added.
