Reacting to the order of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attaching his wife Asha Shaji’s property, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State secretary K.M. Shaji has said that he will legally fight the case which he termed as “politically-motivated.”
He said that he had started the process of appealing against the order after consulting his lawyers. “So far, I have not received any notices on the attachment,” he told The Hindu over phone from Bengaluru on Wednesday.
He said that the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had earlier dismissed a complaint against him, which accused him of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. “But handing over the case to the Central investigation agency was part of a larger plot planned by the CPI(M). Those who attempt to confiscate the property will be disappointed,” Mr. Shaji said.
He said that he had produced all documents related to his wife’s residential property at Vengeri village at Kakkodi on the outskirts of Kozhikode city before the ED. “I had declared assets, including the land and the building worth ₹1.75 crore. All the transactions had been done through banks. However, the ED assessed the value of the property and building at ₹1.9 crore based on the report of the State’s Public Works Department,” Mr. Shaji said.
He said that the ED had initiated the action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Earlier, officials had questioned him and his wife on the source of income in connection with the construction of the 5,500-sq.ft house.
Mr. Shaji said that a conscious attempt to create a smokescreen had been made in the name of the house constructed years ago after the Vigilance wing had failed to prove the allegation that he had taken a bribe of ₹25 lakh from the Azhikode school management to sanction Plus Two courses.
