Mayor Beena Philip has said that the Kozhikode Corporation will not protect any officials if they were found to have a role in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) embezzlement case.
Responding to the allegation by M.P. Rijil, the prime suspect in the case, she said it would remain an allegation until it was proven, and that the Corporation wanted the culprits to be punished.
Meanwhile, the PNB has agreed to return ₹10.8 crore to the Corporation by next Friday. The Mayor said she had received an email to that effect after the bank found the amount missing from the Corporation accounts during its interim internal audit.
The Mayor welcomed the possibility of an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as it was the usual procedure of the PNB in such cases.
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Front (UDF) demanded that the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor publish the actual amount lost from the Corporation accounts. The UDF councillors also demanded that a special council meeting be called to explain the situation.
