The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is likely to wind up its probe into the sensational bar bribery scam involving Kerala Congress (M) chairman and former Minister KM Mani, as it has not been able to find sufficient evidences to prove the charge against him even as the High Court has granted 45 days’ time to the agency for completing the probe and submitting its final investigation report.
A special team of the VACB investigating the case has reportedly been unable to find enough circumstantial and scientific evidences to establish the charge against Mani, that he had taken bribe from bar owners. In this context, the agency is likely to seek court’s permission to wind up the probe when it submits its final investigation report.
Vigilance Director Loknath Behera on Wednesday submitted to the court, in a sealed envelope, the report on the progress of the probe and in it he has reportedly cited the agency’s inability to continue with the investigation as the special probe team could not find any circumstantial or scientific evidences against the former Minister so far.
The charge against Mani was that he had taken Rs 1 crore as bribe from the State’s bar owners in 2014 promising to get their licences renewed when he was Minister for Finance and Law in the then Congress-led UDF Government. The scam and the political storm it set off had forced him to resign as Minister on November 10, 2015 following an adverse remark from the High Court.
The High Court, which accepted the agency’s plea for more time, on Wednesday granted a 45-day extension to it to complete the investigation and submit its final report before the Special Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram. Of the 45 days, 30 days are for completing the probe and 15 days are for the preparation of the report.
The court, which observed that an extension was necessary for concluding the probe properly, instructed the Vigilance to make it clear in its final report whether the charge against Mani was maintainable. When the case was considered last time, the court had granted 30 days’ time to the Vigilance to complete the probe.