ED files money laundering case against ex-Kerala minister K Babu

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.

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.