Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has brought another minister in Kerala under its scanner in the bar bribery scam by initiating a special probe against excise minister K Babu.
Vigilance Director Vincent M Paul has taken a decision in this regard based on the secret statement given by bar owner Biju Ramesh to the magistrate and the pleas made by opposition leader V S Achuthanandan to file a first information report (FIR) against him.
Biju had alleged that Babu had taken Rs 10 crore for reducing the bar license fee from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 23 lakh during the last abkari year. Ramesh said Rs 50 lakhs was handed over to the minister’s secretary in his presence at the minister’s office in the secretariat.
The investigation will be conducted by the Ernakulam unit of the VACB. Babu has welcomed the decision. He said the liquor baron had raised baseless allegations against him after he turned down his plea for a bar licence to one of his hotels. Babu said that he was ready to face any investigation.
Meanwhile, the vigilance investigation team has come across a crucial evidence to support Biju’s allegation that finance minister K M Mani had taken a bribe of Rs 1 crore to reopen the bars closed from April 1, 2014.The team has found the registration number of his car in which a bar owner had delivered Rs 35 lakh to the minister at his official residence in the state capital in the visitors’ register maintained at the main entrance of the Cliff House complex where Mani lives.
They came across the evidence during a search of the minister’s house on Wednesday. The finding corroborates the statement given by Biju’s driver, Ambili, that he was present when association president Rajkumar Unni had handed over a briefcase containing Rs 35 lakh to the minister on May 2, 2014. However, Unni had denied giving any bribe to Mani in the statement he gave to the vigilance. In his statement given to the investigating team, Ambili had said that he had taken Unni in the car bearing registration number KL01B 7878. He said that he had seen the minister accepting the briefcase containing the cash from outside.
His statement was taken after an FIR was registered against the minister following a quick verification of Biju’s allegation that the latter had demanded Rs 1 crore for reopening the bars. Biju had alleged that the minister was given the money in three instalments at his residences in Thiruvananthapuram and his hometown of Palai in Kottayam district.
