Treasuries in the State are secure against fraud, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac asserted on Wednesday, adding that Kerala had the best treasury software in the country.
Replying to questions in the Assembly, he said no further irregularities had been unearthed in treasuries in inspections ordered after the detection of fraud at the additional sub treasury, Vanchiyoor, in July last year.
Functional audits will be carried out in treasuries soon, he said. Such audits require the treasury system to be frozen temporarily. The government had decided to carry out a thorough security audit by a Central agency and a functional audit in treasuries following the Vanchiyoor incident.
The Minister promised stern action against officials accused in treasury fraud cases. Three officials were dismissed from service by the government in connection with such cases. Nine officials were dismissed from service in the past 50 years, he said.
Isolated case
On the incident where a senior accountant at the additional sub treasury, Vanchiyoor, siphoned off a huge sum from the STSB account of the Collector, Dr. Isaac said the preliminary conclusion was that the incident was an isolated one.
The government has not found any evidence of conspiracy. The government had ordered a scrutiny of all transactions carried out by the accused, who has been summarily dismissed from service, during his service period, he said.
Following the incident, the government had introduced troubleshooting measures in treasuries, including automatic deactivation of user ID and passwords when an official superannuates, or is placed under suspension, or goes on leave, Dr. Isaac said.
