NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking trial for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC-Lavalin case.
The Kerala High Court had acquitted the Chief Minister of all corruption charges in August last year citing insufficient evidence against him. The investigation agency had challenged the high court's verdict in the Supreme Court.
The SNC-Lavalin case relates to the award of a contract to a Canadian company for the renovation and modernization of three hydel power projects in the state in 1997.
Vijayan was the power minister of the state then. The investigation agency had accused the chief minister of swindling Rs 375 crore. The contract was awarded when Vijayan was in Canada and is believed to have caused huge losses to the Kerala State Electricity Board.
The CBI, in its affidavit, said that no changes could happen in the contract without the knowledge of the chief minister. It also said that the high court had acquitted the Chief Minister without taking into account the conspiracy angle in the case.
The Supreme Court, in January, had accepted the CBI's petition against the high court verdict of discharging Vijayan and had issued a notice to the chief minister and two others.
The previous Oommen Chandy government had told the high court that he state had lost Rs 266.25 crore as a result of awarding the contract to SNC-Lavalin. The hydel projects in question are Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar.