VACB constitutes team to probe charge against Mani

Sleuths to record Biju Ramesh's statement

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Tuesday constituted a special team to check the veracity of the allegation that Finance Minister K.M. Mani had accepted a huge payoff from bar hoteliers for renewal of liquor retail licences. P.M. Rajmohan, Superintendent of Police, Southern Range, will head the team.

Biju Ramesh, a prominent hotelier, had made the accusation on television last week, triggering a tempestuous political controversy that threatened to unravel coalition equations in the ruling front.

VACB Director Vinson. M. Paul chaired marathon meetings with his investigators to discuss the issue. The agency was expected to focus on the provenance of the alleged crime, including aspects regarding the source of the “bribe money.” Investigators would also have to rely on the mobile phone usage records of the main protagonists in the suspected offence to prove their presence or absence at the Minister’s residence in Pala on the dates pertinent to the accusation.

The agency on Tuesday served a notice on Mr. Ramesh to record his version of the alleged events. The businessman was scheduled to present himself before the investigating officer on Thursday.

The charge

Mr. Ramesh had claimed that he was privy to a secret payoff made to Mr. Mani at the Minister’s private residence in Pala sometime in March-April this year for a favourable Cabinet decision on the renewal of bar licences of 418 hotels. (The government had refused to renew the licences on the ground that these hotels did not meet the minimum two-star standard specified in permit conditions.)

The so-called “revelation” also impelled the Opposition to demand an anti-corruption inquiry. Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan wrote to the Director, VACB, demanding the agency take cognisance of the alleged offence.

Soon, the Home Department huddled to discuss the issue and it received legal opinion, some based on High Court orders dating back to the 1970s, that a preliminary quick verification be conducted to gauge the genuineness of Mr. Ramesh’s claim. Registration of a case, if any, would be on the basis of the verification report.