Thiruvananthapuram: In the corruption case regarding Palarivattom overbridge, vigilance will specifically investigate former Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju’s role in the matter. Vigilance’s latest move is to seek prior permission from the Speaker for investigation.
The minister’s intervention as a minister and chairman of the Roads and Bridges Corporation will be investigated. In the affidavit submitted by vigilance in the court stated that Ebrahim Kunju had some unknown motive by giving advance loan to the contractor.
Vigilance had arrested former Secretary of the Public Works Department, T O Suraj, for giving loans to the contractor in advance. Sooraj had revealed to the vigilance that Ebrahim, the former minister, had proposed to lend a loan.
The lending rate was just 7 per cent at a time when public sector banks charged 11-14 per cent. This resulted in a loss of Rs 56 lakh to the government. This is also stated in the Account General’s report.
