Kozhikode, 10 September (HS):

Former Kerala Public Works Minister and CPI(M) State Secretariat member P.A. Mohammed Riyas has rejected media reports linking him to alleged bribery and money laundering, describing them as a fabricated attempt to tarnish his reputation.

His response followed reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a letter to the State Police Chief, had alleged that Riyas received ₹20.5 crore in bribes while serving as Public Works Minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government.

According to the reports, the agency claimed that a portion of the alleged bribe money was transferred to Dubai. The letter reportedly stated that the money did not originate from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).

Riyas dismissed the allegations as baseless and accused the ED of selectively leaking information to the media. He said that if such claims were part of a report circulated by the agency, they had been deliberately concocted with the intention of carrying out his character assassination.

The CPI(M) leader also denied reports suggesting that Veena Vijayan had made any such admission during her questioning by the ED. He termed the claim completely false.

Riyas said the latest reports were part of a continuing effort to target him through unverified information purportedly connected to the ED investigation. He criticised those circulating what he described as absurd and malicious claims at the expense of the reputations and lives of individuals.

The former minister said he would challenge the allegations through legal means. He did not provide further details about the nature of the legal action or when it would be initiated.

The controversy is expected to trigger a fresh political confrontation in Kerala, with the allegations involving a senior CPI(M) leader and former member of the State Cabinet. The ED has not issued a public clarification on Riyas’s accusations concerning the alleged leak.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman