In trouble over the alleged nepotism in the appointment of one of its senior officials, the Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation (KSMDFC) has chosen to pass the buck on to the government.
A.P. Abdul Wahab, chairman of the corporation’s board of directors, and V.K. Akbar, managing director, on Thursday told the media that it was the government which appointed K.T. Adeeb, a relative of Minister for Minority Welfare K.T. Jaleel, to the post of general manager. They also claimed that none of the other candidates who appeared for the interview were eligible for the post to which appointment could be made only through deputation from other departments or statutory bodies.
Mr. Wahab claimed that of the seven candidates who had applied for the post, only three turned up for the interview and they did not meet the criteria to be appointed on deputation. The managing director was asked to find a suitable person. Mr. Adeeb, a senior manager with South Indian Bank, had earlier applied for the post, but he did not attend the interview. As he was found to have all the required qualification, he was appointed as per Rule 9 (b) of the Kerala State Service Rules.
When asked how South Indian Bank could be termed a ‘statutory body,’ Mr. Wahab said it was a “scheduled bank functioning under an act of Parliament,” thus could be called a ‘statutory body.’
He also chose to turn to broad generalisations such as the high number of engineering graduates in the banking sector when asked why B.Tech. with a postgraduate diploma in banking was added as the qualification for the post. “It was the government which changed the qualification guidelines. We only recommended his name considering his expertise in the field,” Mr. Wahab pointed out.
Asked about the allegation that Mr. Adeeb lacked the mandatory clearance from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau for the appointment of top officials of public sector undertakings, though Mr. Vahab initially said the post of general manager did not come in its ambit, he later claimed the clearance could be easily obtained within a month.
Mr. Akbar, however, claimed that they had acted as per the instructions of the legal advisers of the company and the decision on appointment was taken by the senior staff in the department. And, it was not a permanent appointment, but a one-year contractual job, he said.
