THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is facing pressure from the government, VACB chief Vinson M Paul has said. “The sword of Damocles is hanging over the anti-corruption agencies as they function under the government,” he told mediapersons on the sidelines of a seminar here on Saturday.
The Vigilance director said that ADGP Jacob Thomas was not excluded from the bar bribe probe. He ensured a fair probe into the case.
‘Officials Not Ashamed of Charges’
Earlier, in his inaugural address at the Anti-Corruption Day observance organised by the Kerala State Human Rights Protection Committee here on Saturday, the VACB director said that the accused officials were no more ashamed of corruption cases.
“The state witnesses a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and criminals. The flaws in the legal system should also be blamed for the increase in corruption,” he said. “In some cases, the trial court verdict is challenged in the High Court and the Supreme Court and the accused would have passed away before the final verdict arrives,” he said.
The VACB director said that 1,200 corruption cases were pending in the state and the probe would take at least 25 years in the current scenario. He urged for an ‘anti-corruption culture’ in society. “The media scrutiny over politicians and bureaucrats can bring down the corruption rate to a large extent,” Vinson M Paul said.
He asked the society to keep watch on all the officials against getting involved in corrupt practices.