In a major development of political implications for the Congress in the run-up to the elections,the Vigilance and Inquiry Court on Monday ordered a further probe into the palmolein scam to ascertain whether Opposition leader Oommen CHandy had any role in the import of palmolein oil. Judge S Jagadeesh asked the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to complete the probe within three months. The court,which did not make any reference to Chandy,said the order for further probe only a formality. Last month,the second accused and Congress leader T H Musthafa had dragged Chandys name into the case. Musthafa,civil supplies minister at the time of the palmolein case,had moved a discharge petition in the court,saying that when the file of the palmolein import came up before he had suggested placing it before the Cabinet. My suggestion was endorsed by Chandy,then finance minister. Musthafa said that he was implicated in the case,while the prosecution found nothing wrong with Chandy. The petition by Musthafa,a loyalist of the late K Karunakaran,had served ammo for the CPI (M)-led LDF government to ask the Vigilance to explore the possibility of conducting further probe into the case. Last week,the government pleader had told the court the vigilance willingness to conduct further probe. The case related to alleged corruption in the import of palmolein from Malaysia at exorbitant rates,which allegedly caused a loss of Rs 2.32 crore to the exchequer in 1991-92. Apart from Musthafa,the other accused in the case is former Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas,who was food secretary during the period. The chargesheet in the case was filed by the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau in 2003.
