Cheating case: Tourism minister Kadakampally defends CPM chief Kodiyeri

With the upcoming CPM state conference to be chaired by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Kadakampally Surendran said he has done no wrong or misled anyone. Kodiyeri's two sons - Binoy Kodiyeri and Bineesh Kodiyeri - both of whom have business interests in Dubai - owe money to various people in the UAE and Kerala.

Kerala tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday defended CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, whose two sons have been caught in alleged financial frauds in Dubai, as hectic parleys are on to settle the financial deals.

With the upcoming CPM state conference to be chaired by Kodiyeri, Kadakampally said he has done no wrong or misled anyone.

Kodiyeri's two sons - Binoy Kodiyeri and Bineesh Kodiyeri - both of whom have business interests in Dubai - owe money to various people in the UAE and Kerala, and it was recently revealed that Binoy, who is in the UAE, has been barred from travelling out of the country.

"When we met the last time there was no case or any travel ban on Binoy and that was what Kodiyeri said then," Kadakampally told the media. "The issue currently is what happens between businessmen and there has been no misuse of anything by anyone."

The state CPM at its leadership meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on January 25 also gave a clean chit to Kodiyeri and dismissed this as a business issue, saying that neither the party nor he has anything to do with it.

Trouble started for Binoy and Kodiyeri when a three-page letter dated January 5 from HIA Al Marzooqi, sponsor of a Dubai-based company, was made available to the media last month. It stated that he had started legal proceedings against Binoy for alleged fraud of Rs 13 crore.

After Marzooqi filed a petition against Binoy in order to get his money, a travel ban was issued on the CPM leader's son.

(With agency inputs)