KOCHI: A high-level meeting of Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) to be held in the next two days will decide on arresting former PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju, who is likely to be interrogated by the probe team on Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the Palarivattom flyover scam case.
As the VACB had collected all necessary evidence against the former PWD minister and sitting MLA from Kalamassery, VACB officials said the interrogation was just a procedure to corroborate the evidence and statements given by the other accused in the case against Kunju. “We need to follow certain procedures and get the statement of Ebrahim Kunju to complete the procedures. Once the interrogation is completed, the details will be shared with the Advocate General’s office seeking legal validity for his arrest,” said a senior vigilance officer.
The Vigilance has already apprised the state government of the procedures that will be followed if the sitting MLA is to be arrested in connection with the flyover case. In fact, the VACB is upbeat over the progress of investigation in the case.
The probe team will be presenting crucial evidence before Ebrahim Kunju during the interrogation on Saturday to record his statement. One of the main evidence against Kunju was the PWD file (GO No.57/14/PWD) which he signed and sanctioned for release of advance amount `8.5 crore for the flyover project. VACB officials said the recovery of the file was a major turning point in the case to prove Kunju’s role in the scam. The file (GO No.57/14/PWD) was categorised under MS series and was approved on July 15, 2014. The file contained 13 (9+4) pages and the abstract mentioned “PWD-SPEED Kerala Programme – Construction of flyover at Palarivattom – Request for advance payment – Sanctioned – Orders issued”.
As per the probe details, it was this file that Ebrahim Kunju approved for release of mobilisation fund to RDS Project Ltd in violation of the rules. Former PWD principal secretary T O Sooraj, another accused in case, had also mentioned this file as evidence against Ebrahim Kunju.