CM knew of palmolein deal: Vigilance Court

Thrissur: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cannot wash of his hands from  the palmolein scam and will have to answer many questions. This became clear after the   Vigilance Court here on Tuesday observed that Mr Chandy, who was the finance minister while the state government signed the pact for importing palmolein during 1991-92,  had  seen the files regarding the alleged scam.

Vigilance special judge S.S. Vassan, while discharging the complaints against former chief secretary S. Padmakumar and additional chief secretary Zachariah Mathew in the case, said that as finance minister, Mr Chandy had signed on a note prepared by Mr Mathew.

The note said that the file should be sent to the FM and so he was in the know of things about the deal.

Both the bureaucrats were only acting as per the policy decision of the government in the deal and could not be taken to task for that, the court said.

The observation assumes significance  as the trial in the alleged palmolein scam in which the state exchequer reportedly lost Rs 2.32 crore is set to begin on March 29 in the same court.

The court had earlier said that if evidence was found against  Mr Chandy during the trial, he could be made the accused. Former food and civil supplies minister T.H. Musthafa, present chief secretary and then civil supplies corporation MD Jiji Thomson, former civil supplies secretary P.J. Thomas along with two directors of the P&E Company which imported Pamolein are the other  accused in the case.
Former chief minister K. Karunakaran, prime accused in the palmolein import case,  passed away in 2010.