KOCHI: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (V&ACB), which is probing the Palarivattom flyover scam, on Wednesday formally recorded the arrest of senior IUML leader and former Public Works Department (PWD) minister VK Ebrahim Kunju.
As Kunju is currently admitted to a private hospital in city for some health-related issues, the V&ACB team which reached the hospital formally recorded his arrest after consulting with his doctors. Sources in the V&ACB said that the arrest was being done as per the direction of the government and Kunju will most probably be taken for detailed interrogation in the connection with the case.
There were rumours for the last few days that Kunju will be arrested in connection with Palarivattom flyover case in which the anti-graft body has already arraigned him as an accused. Vigilance officials said that Kunju will be taken to the court only after detailed discussion with the doctors.
Earlier, the vigilance team conducted a raid at the house of Kunju at Aluva. The development is a major move by the LDF government to corner the opposition UDF which has been coming out with a series of corruption allegations against the government in the last few days.
The Vigilance had earlier interrogated him in connection with the case in September 2019. The former Minister has been arraigned as an accused in the case after vigilance found his alleged role in releasing an advance amount of Rs 8.25 crore to RDS Projects Ltd, the contractor of the flyover work violating the
rules.
Former Public Works Secretary TO Sooraj, RDS MD Sumit Goyal, RBDCK company GM PD Thankachan were earlier arrested in connection with the case. Sooraj, the fourth accused in the case, had levelled serious charges against Ebrahim Kunju alleging that it was per Kunju’s direction that the rules were violated to favour the contractor.