The Congress social gathering president of Kerala Okay Sudhakaran was on Tuesday named because the second accused within the monetary fraud case linked to pretend antiques supplier Monson Mavunkal, stated officers acquainted with the matter. Mavunkal is the primary accused within the case.
The Kerala Police Crime Department named the senior Congress chief in its cost sheet filed earlier than the Ernakulam further chief judicial Justice of the Peace (ACJM) courtroom.
Sudhakaran has reportedly been charged with dishonest and legal conspiracy for allegedly receiving ₹10 lakh from Mavunkal and aiding false representations concerning the supplier and the pretend artefacts that he claimed to be genuine to a number of individuals.
The complainants alleged that that they had paid Mavunkal ₹25 lakh at his residence in Kochi within the presence of Sudhakaran. Pictures of Sudhakaran and Mavunkal showing collectively had additionally surfaced on social media in 2021.
The Congress chief, nonetheless, termed the allegations “baseless” and has caught to the argument that he had visited Mavunkal because the latter had claimed to be a cosmetologist. Sudhakaran was not out there for remark following Tuesday’s growth.
Sudhakaran was arrested by the crime department in June final 12 months in connection however the Kerala excessive courtroom granted him bail. He had final 12 months additionally appeared for questioning earlier than the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing allegations of cash laundering in the identical case.
Mavunkal, who was arrested by the crime department in September 2021, is accused of swindling ₹10 crore from a number of individuals. He allegedly satisfied them that the proceeds, amounting to ₹2.62 lakh crore, from the sale of antiques to a royal household based mostly within the Gulf was frozen by the central authorities authorities and that he wanted cash to clear the procedures.
The pretend vintage items that Mavunkal displayed in his custody included the throne of Tipu Sultan, the Workers of Moses, the Bhagavad Gita of Chhatrapati Shivaji and a relic of St Anthony of Padua.
Mavunkal was sentenced to life imprisonment final 12 months by a Pocso courtroom in Kochi for raping a minor woman and is presently in jail.
Reacting to Sudhakaran being named within the cost sheet, his social gathering colleague VD Satheesan stated, “The police are searching the opposition. We don’t anticipate the rest from them. Initially, they tried to arrest him (Sudhakaran) within the guise of taking his assertion. The excessive courtroom granted him anticipatory bail. We are going to face this legally. Everybody is aware of that he has no position in it.”
The event comes forward of Sudharakan’s seemingly candidature from Kannur because the Congress candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He’s the sitting MP from the constituency.