Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) charge sheet in the LIFE Mission contract irregularities scam sheds more light into the involvement of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The charge sheet contains the statement of Swapna Suresh, which points that the CM knew about the contract sabotage to favour the Consulate General.
The responsibility, given to the Consulate General, to choose the contractor for the Life Mission without tender was a bid to ensure commission. In her statement, Swapna Suresh alleges that the meetings convened for the project were held at the CM’s official residence. Her statement is recorded in the charge sheet in the LIFE Mission contract scam submitted by the ED at the PMLA Special Court at Kaloor.
Swapna Suresh, in her statement, says that she took part in the meeting participated by the Chief Minister and M Shivsankar.
In the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), it was decided that the government will oversee the selection of the contractors and the construction. The UAE Consulate’s sole responsibility was to transfer the money for the project from Red Crescent to the government agency.
However, on the next day after the MoU was signed, a meeting was convened at the CM’s official residence and permission was given to the Consulate General to select contractors, who were not part of the tender process.
This was done to facilitate the Consulate General to receive commission of the project. Swapna Suresh said that the sabotage of the LIFE Mission contract was done with the full knowledge of the Chief Minister.
The ED is continuing its investigation in the case, in which eleven persons are accused. If more persons are found to be involved in the scam, then the ED will file an additional charge sheet.
The LIFE (Livelihood Inclusion Financial Empowerment) Mission Kerala is a project of the Kerala government to build free houses for the homeless people in the state.
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