THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could spell trouble for chief minister VD Satheesan, the Lok Ayukta has received a complaint over his controversial chartered flight travel, seeking to declare him unfit to remain in the post. The petition seeking to investigate whether the CM obtained 'undue advantage' as per the Prevention of Corruption Act, has been posted for hearing on September 29.
Social activist KM Shajahan approached the anti-corruption body, accusing the chief minister of accepting undue advantage by abusing his position. The complaint alleged corruption, abuse of official position, nepotism and maladministration from accepting pecuniary benefits from Chipsan Aviation Private Limited, at a time a proposal for continuation of the company's services was pending before the governmental.
In his complaint, Shajahan pointed out that the state government had an agreement with Chipsan Aviation Private Limited for providing helicopter services, as per which the government was paying monthly charge of Rs 280 lakh. The three-year agreement with the firm expired on September 19, following which the company submitted a fresh proposal to provide helicopter services on a pay-per-use basis, which's under consideration of the government.
The chief minister undertook an official journey to Malappuram by an aircraft belonging to Kelachandra Logistics Private Limited, and was arranged through Chipsan Aviation Private Limited. Later it came out that Chipsan footed the bill of Rs.19.88 lakh for the journey. The CM stated that no expenditure from the state exchequer was incurred.
The disclosure that the expenditure was borne by Chipsan Aviation assumes serious significance because the company had a substantial commercial proposal pending before the government. "The payment of nearly Rs20 lakh by a private commercial entity towards the official journey of the Chief Minister constitutes a substantial pecuniary benefit or advantage to the respondent and/or to the State, the legality and propriety of which require investigation, particularly when the
benefactor had an immediate commercial interest in obtaining a favourable governmental decision," said the complaint, which pointed out that section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act would be applicable in the matter.
The complaint requested an investigation into the whole matter, ascertain the identity of the person/entity that sponsored the chartered flight, ascertain whether the chief minister was aware that the expenditure was being born by Chipsan Aviation, probe whether the payment had any links with the pending government decision and to declare that the VD Satheesan was not fit to continue the post of chief minister under section 14 of the Kerala Lok Ayuktha Act.