Anti-corruption investigators on Monday recorded the statements of senior excise and taxes officials as part of their preliminary inquiry into the allegation of corruption against Excise Minister K. Babu.
Last week, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Vinson M. Paul had ordered the agency to quickly verify whether the allegation that Mr. Babu had demanded and accepted Rs.10 crore as bribe from the Kerala Bar Hotels Association (KBHA) to roll back a proposed hike in annual licence fee revealed any cognizable offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act or the Indian Penal Code. The order came in the wake of KBHA working president Biju Ramesh’s deposition in court alleging the same.
The vigilance inquiry headed by Dy.SP M.N. Rameshan would focus chiefly on Mr. Ramesh’s primary allegation that the demand for the bribe was made in privy after a pre-budgetary meeting held last year at the Minister’s office.
The investigating agency currently faced the task of verifying the minutiae of Mr. Ramesh’s statement. It would have to collect evidence from varied sources, including minutes of government meetings.
Investigators would record the statements of the main players in the bar sector and also rely on electronic evidence, including mobile phone call records. They would determine the provenance of the proposal to “drastically” hike the bar licence fee and check whether or not it was motivated by corrupt intentions. They would look for procedural irregularities in the matter, if any.
Home Minister Ramaesh Chennithala said in Kozhikode that the government will not interfere in the probe.
Investigators to also rely on electronic evidence
Govt. will not interfere in probe: Chennithala
