Bengaluru court rejects Bineesh Kodiyeri's petition for relief in money laundering case

Actor Bineesh Kodiyeri's petition for relief in a money laundering case was rejected by the 34th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court on Friday.

A Bengaluru court rejected late CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son and actor Bineesh Kodiyeri's petition for relief in a money laundering case on Friday. The court observed that Bineesh Kodiyeri will continue to be accused in the case.

The petition was dismissed by the 34th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court.

The reasons given by Judge HA Mohan as to why Bineesh cannot be excluded from the case are as follows:

1. Bineesh Kodiyeri paid around Rs 40 lakh to Muhammad Anoop without any proof or documents.
2. Bineesh knew that Anoop was in huge debt but did not make any effort to recover it.
3. There is testimony that Binesh and Muhammad Anoop were seen using cocaine at the party with a female friend and two others.
4. Another witness also testified that Bineesh was seen using cocaine with Muhammad Anoop at the Royal Suite apartment.
5. There is no way that Bineesh, who was intoxicated with Muhammad Anoop, could not have known about his business and vices.
6. Therefore, the court naturally suspects that Bineesh knowingly gave the money to the first accused Muhammad Anoop and that the money was given for drug dealing.
7. Otherwise there would have been some record of the money given. 
8. The fact that this amount was not shown in the returns filed with the Income Tax Department does not prove the innocence of Bineesh.
9. The court has prima facie doubts as to the role of Bineesh along with Muhammad Anoop in the drug racket.
10. The argument that he should be exempted from the money laundering case because he is not accused of drug trafficking cannot be accepted.
11. The case will stand on the statements made by Bineesh under Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

On October 29, 2020, Bineesh Kodiyeri was detained in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving a drug bust. The case came to light in August 2020 with the Narcotics Control Bureau's arrest of Anoop Mohammad and two other people in Bengaluru. Later, Mohammad disclosed to the NCB that Bineesh Kodiyeri was his business partner and that he had made significant investments in the trade.