Delay in prosecution sanction helps Ebrahim Kunju stay off legal hook

It’s been months since the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) unearthed evidence against former Public Works Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju in the Palarivattom flyover scam.
Delay in prosecution sanction helps Ebrahim Kunju stay off legal hook

KOCHI: It’s been months since the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) unearthed evidence against former Public Works Minister VK Ebrahim Kunju in the Palarivattom flyover scam. However, the Kalamassery MLA continues to stay off legal hook as neither the Governor’s office nor the state government has reached a conclusive decision on sanctioning his prosecution.

While there were reports that Governor Arif Mohammad Khan had held discussions with the Advocate General after the government forwarded the file to the Governor’s office seeking his approval to prosecute Ebrahim Kunju, senior government officials denied such a meeting took place. 

“The meeting hasn’t taken place so far,” Advocate General C P Sudhakara Prasad told TNIE. VACB Director Anil Kant sounded clueless about the file despite a section of Vigilance officers reiterating that it remained pending at the Governor’s office. The Governor’s office also could not provide a conclusive reply on the file’s status. Senior government officials said the government was convinced with the evidence against Ebrahim Kunju and was waiting for the Governor’s nod to prosecute him.

The delay in sanctioning prosecution proceedings against Ebrahim Kunju had brought the probe to a complete standstill.“We have the evidence to prove the charges against Ebrahim Kunju. We need to question him again to corroborate the proof and the statements given by T O Sooraj, then principal secretary of the Public Works Department,” said an officer.

As Public Works minister in the previous Oommen Chandy government, Ebrahim Kunju was the de-facto chairman of Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) which oversaw the flyover project. The VACB team had unearthed proof that Ebrahim Kunju had signed and approved – in violation of rules – the department’s file sanctioning mobilisation advance of `8.25 crore to RDS Project Ltd, the firm roped in to construct the flyover.

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