THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could be a fresh turn in the ongoing vigilance investigation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the police are likely to record the statement of a person said to be a friend of Lee See Been, the Malaysian engineer who died by suicide in 2006. Going by confidential sources, Lee’s friend, who is also a former employee of the Indo-Malaysian consortium PATI-BEL, has expressed willingness to give a statement to the state police.
There are indications that the statement would be against Gyanesh Kumar. There were allegations that the engineer resorted to the extreme step because of the mental pressure brought on by Gyanesh Kumar, who was then the state PWD secretary.
Meanwhile, the state government is also considering another investigation into the issue. A parallel Crime Branch probe into the suicide aspect is likely as the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has opined that they are only legally bound to probe corruption allegations and not crimes like suicides.
Though the VACB is likely to push for a probe, the Crime Branch is yet to receive an official intimation about the same. However,the biggest hurdle in the case is Lee’s suicide letter,which the police has not yet received. The letter is alleged to have mentioned Gyanesh.
Sources within Congress circles indicated that more complaints against Gyanesh are likely to surface in the coming days.
“Lee was a close friend and a good colleague to many people here, because of which many of them were shocked to hear the news of his suicide. Now that cases have come up, unearthing the truth of his suicide, it is learnt that more people are seeking legal advice to come up with complaints against Gyanesh,” a source close to the complainant in the Gyanesh Kumar case told TNIE, on condition of anonymity.