Solar-scam accused Saritha S. Nair on Friday testified before the solar judicial commission the authenticity of over 3,000 calls made from and to the official residence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and a slew of Ministers from her two mobile phones. The call list was generated by the police during investigation.
The call details were confirmed on Friday after Saritha S. Nair submitted a detailed statement in a sealed cover on allegations of her illicit relationship with senior politicians of the State. The contents of the statement inside the cover, marked “strictly confidential,” were different from the contents of the controversial letter that she wrote while in jail, she informed the commission.
It was during cross-examination by C. Harikumar, lawyer for the commission, that Saritha confirmed the veracity of the call list.
She deposed that the Chief Minister knew that her real name was Saritha S. Nair and not Lakshmi Nair as she had initially introduced herself. Of the 1,700 calls made between her and Tenny Joppan, former personal staff member of Mr. Chandy, some 10 to 15 per cent were to the Chief Minister himself, routed through Joppan’s phone, she said.
She further clarified that calls made to the Ministers as well as a few MLAs and MPs were both business as well as “personal,” when asked about the nature of some calls of long duration made during odd hours.
During her cross-examination, she informed the panel that she gave a portion of the money collected from businessman Malleil Sreedharan Nair to the Chief Minister.
The transaction details were available with the Perumbavoor police. She stated before the commission that she met Cultural Affairs Minister K.C. Joseph along with Mr. Chandy at his official residence.
A donation of Rs.20 lakh was made to the Kerala Police Association as requested by its secretary G.R. Ajith in 2013.
He had also offered to pass a resolution at the meeting to set up solar electrification schemes in all police stations in return for the contribution.
The resolution was passed in May 2013 and subsequently, N. Shankar Reddy, then ADGP (North Zone), issued a circular directing that solar electrification should be done in all police stations, she informed the panel.
Complaint against Minister
The commission will consider a complaint against Labour Minister Shibu Baby John on Saturday for making “a highly defamatory” usage in a “contemptuous manner causing disrespect to the commission and lowering its dignity and reputation” at a recent public meeting in Kollam.
Moving the petition, C. Rajendran, a lawyer, pointed out that the act was a punishable offence.
‘Portion of money collected from Sreedharan Nair given to CM’
Says Rs.20-lakh donation given to police association
