Rs 25 lakh bribe given to forest officials, says tree felling accused

KALPETTA: Roji Augustine, key accused in the Muttil tree felling case, has alleged that he had given Rs 25 lakh in bribe to forest officials to transport the logs. Talking to a TV news channel on Thursday, he alleged that Rs 10 lakh was given to a divisional forest officer (DFO) in Wayanad, Rs 2 lakh to another DFO, Rs 5 lakh to a range officer (RO), Rs 3 lakh to a former RO and the rest to the staff at two forest offices.

 “I had bribed because there was no other option to get things done. I had cut 56 rosewood trees including 14 from my own plantation. Still, the forest personnel seized my logs. I had cut and transported logs with all sufficient documents,” he claimed. 

Augustine alleged that the same forest personnel who seized his logs allowed the cutting of eight rosewood trees from vested forest at Manikkunnumala and transportation of them without any pass. He alleged that Rs 600 crore worth of timber is lying in Wayanad unable to be transported. The trees were cut as per the order of the principal secretary (revenue). 

When TNIE contacted the forest personnel named by Roji, all of them dismissed the allegations and said they were paying the price for upholding laws. Roji and his brothers, Anto Augustine and Josekutty Augustine, have a dubious past in financial dealings. They were behind the Mango phone launch in 2016. Anto and Josekutty were arrested on February 29, 2016 just before the launch of the phone following complaints by Bank of Baroda and State Bank of Travancore.