Vigilance clean chit to Chandy in palmolein case

VACB submitted its further probe report in the palmolein import case

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Saturday submitted its further probe report in the palmolein import case,saying there was no evidence to arraign Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as an accused.

VACB Superintendent V N Sasidharan,in his report,said the agency has not come across any proof showing that Chandy had role in the import deal,which was struck by the Congress government of 1992. Chandy was the finance minister then. The late Congress leader K Karunakaran,then chief minister,was the first accused and the food minister in his cabinet T H Musthafa and ex-CVC P J Thomas were in the list of the other accused.

The probe was initiated after the Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram ordered last August to specifically ascertain whether Chandy had any role in the case. Last month,the Kerala High Court set aside the observations made by the Vigilance court on the role of Chandy,while considering the plea of another accused Giji Thomson,who was the civil supplies director at the time of import.

The VACB report said Chandy was not part of the conspiracy which caused the state exchequer a loss of Rs 2.32 crore. He had not acted in a manner to ensure undue monetary advantage for the private firm involved in the import. As part of the latest round of probe,the VACB had recorded the statement of 12 persons including Chandy.

The palmolein case should have gone to the backburner with the exit of Thomas as CVC and death of Karunakaran. However,it got a fresh lease of life last February with second accused Musthafa moving a discharge petition in the Vigilance court. To wriggle out of the trial,he dragged in the name of Chandy. Musthafa said when the proposal for the palmolein import came up,he had in writing suggested to put up the matter before Cabinet. And Chandy had endorsed his suggestion.