Cashew corporation official guides' CBI in probe
The MD was transferred after the HC order earlier.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI team probing corruption in Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation has sought details with the finance department's inspection wing in Secretariat.
But the irony is that Santhosh Kumar, CI heading the investigation came along with KSCDC's commercial manager, V. Shaji, who allegedly has nexus with the tainted officials, former chair R. Chandrasekharan and managing director, K. A. Ratheesh, who have since stepped down.
It was on Wednesday the CBI official along with Mr Shaji visited the finance department’s inspection wing seeking the 1000-page report filed by additional chief secretary (finance) Dr K. M. Abraham on the anomalies reported at the KSCDC.
Government sources told DC that he issued an order first so that the CBI official can go through it. “Unfortunately, he came with a tainted official. He hardly looked at the report and just glanced through the pages and was desperate to say that C&AG and Dr Abraham got the whole issue wrong, and the corporation officials were framed,” said a top government source.
He also added that Mr Shaji was a relative of the former MD. The two were there for just 30 minutes to go through the lengthy report and was keen to give the tainted officials a clean chit. Anomalies to the tune of Rs 600 crore were reported in the corporation which led the government to hand over the enquiry to the CBI.
High Court had also ordered a CBI investigation as per the response to a petition filed by former Kollam secretary of INTUC, Kadakampally Manoj, where he brought to the notice of the government and the HC the corruption in the procurement and sale of cashew nuts. It was Dr Abraham, who had reported the blatant graft to the government. The MD was transferred after the HC order earlier.