Gyanesh Kumar: Fresh probe into graft charges during Gyanesh tenure | Thiruvananthapuram News
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state govt has ordered a fresh vigilance inquiry into corruption allegations linked to the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) and the 2006 death of a Malaysian engineer associated with it, when incumbent chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was PWD secretary.Home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the fresh inquiry would examine all related aspects. “The fact that Gyanesh Kumar is now the chief election commissioner will not prevent the investigation. The vigilance department will proceed after examining all legal aspects,” he told reporters.The move comes amid opposition protests against Kumar over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across states. The Kerala-cadre IAS officer had headed various departments in the state before moving to central ministries.Ramesh ordered the probe on a complaint filed by KPCC executive committee member Malayinkeezhu Venugopal, seeking an investigation against Kumar. He said the complaint alleged that an investigation into serious corruption had been compromised due to external influence and that the allegation had prima facie substance. The matter was discussed with the chief minister and the vigilance director was asked to begin the investigation, he said. Legal advice had also been sought on the possibility of registering a case, he added.In 2006, the World Bank-funded KSTP undertook a Rs 215-crore project to reconstruct the Angamaly-Thiruvananthapuram MC Road. PATI-BEL, a joint venture between a Malaysian firm and Bhageeratha Engineering, was the contractor. Its Malaysian project manager, Lee See Ben, had allegedly raised several complaints about the work before returning to Malaysia, where he died by suicide.He reportedly left behind two suicide notes, in which he allegedly blamed the PWD and its officials for deliberately withholding bills after he refused to pay bribes. Kumar was subsequently removed from his post. A vigilance inquiry was also conducted, but allegations later surfaced that the probe had been abandoned midway and the investigation derailed.Ramesh said Kumar’s name did figure in the suicide notes, one addressed to the engineer’s wife and the other to the company director. On the earlier vigilance inquiry, he said: “This is a case that was hushed up. After the Achuthanandan govt came to power back then, this case did not move forward.”Responding to questions about the allegations, he said they included demands for money to clear bills and delays in payments allegedly linked to corruption. “I haven’t seen the suicide note myself; this is information reported through the media,” he said.
