ED files money laundering case against ex-Kerala minister K Babu
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Synopsis
The ED has filed charges against former Kerala minister K Babu under PMLA for allegedly possessing ₹25.82 lakh in disproportionate assets. The Special Court in Ernakulam took cognizance of the complaint on March 29.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint against K Babu, former Kerala Minister for Excise, Fisheries, and Ports, under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The complaint was submitted on March 26, 2025, to the Special Court (PMLA) in Ernakulam, which took cognizance of the case on March 29.
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The ED initiated the probe based on an FIR by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Ernakulam, under sections 13(1)(e) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. According to the agency, Babu, while serving as a public servant between July 1, 2007, and May 31, 2016, allegedly acquired assets worth ₹25.82 lakh disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The ED states that Babu projected these assets as legally obtained, thereby committing the offence of money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA, punishable under Section 4 of the Act. The ₹25.82 lakh in assets, mostly immovable property, were identified as proceeds of crime (PoC) and provisionally attached on June 25, 2024, through an official order.
This marks a significant development in the agency’s ongoing crackdown on financial irregularities by public officials in Kerala.
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