VACB questions Shaji on documents

Documents submitted by MLA mostly receipts of poll campaign funds

K.M. Shaji, MLA, was questioned again by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) here on Friday as part of the investigation in the cases registered against the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator for allegedly amassing disproportionate wealth.

Following the investigation team’s demand, Mr. Shaji produced a set of documents which, he claimed, were proof for the money seized by the VACB squad from his houses in Kannur and Kozhikode. What he mostly tendered were receipts of fund mobilised by his party for his election campaign.

Verification on

“At this point, it is difficult to say whether the documents submitted by him are reliable. He has handed over a few documents as proof and we are cross-examining him with them,” said a senior VACB officer. There would be further action on completion of the verification, he added.

It was on April 16 that a special unit of the VACB started interrogating Mr. Shaji in connection with the cases registered against him for amassing disproportionate wealth. He has been booked under Section 13 (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 13 (attachment and forfeiture of property) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act.

Cash and gold

The squad had seized ₹47,35,500 and about 60 sovereigns of gold from his house in Kannur and ₹30,000 and 475 grams of gold from his house in Kozhikode on April 12 and 13. This was apart from the ‘disproportionate income’ of ₹1.4 crore found by the investigation team earlier. They submitted a report to the Kozhikode Vigilance Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge for detailed investigation. His known source of earning in the last nine years was ₹88,57,452 according to the VACB report.