ED vs Isaac set to become a legal tussle in HC

THE tussle between the Enforcement Directorate and former two-time state Finance Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac is all set to reach the Kerala High Court.

Isaac has so far been served four notices to appear before the ED and on Monday also he did not turn up. According to sources, the ED is making its next move with utmost caution and is now garnering more details against the economist-turned-politician.

The ED is expected to approach the High Court with solid evidence that there was a violation in the financial dealings of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) during his tenure as the minister in the previous LDF government, especially in the issue of ‘masala bonds’ and despite notices, he has not appeared before them.

But Isaac has already sought expert legal advice. He is likely to approach the High Court stating that the ED is haunting him as by now a few KIIFB officials have already placed all documents before them and he has nothing more to add since he had no official role after he stepped down as the Finance Minister in May 2021.

This legal tangle comes at a time when Isaac is full time now based in Pathanamthitta, where he is in all likelihood to be named as the CPI(M) candidate to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, a seat since its inception in 2009 has been won only by the Congress candidate, Anto Antony.