The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) will seek the permission of the court to question former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister M. Sivasankar on a charge of bribery.
The agency had recently indicted him for corruption in the award of a Life Mission-UAE Red Crescent contract to build 144 dwellings for the poor in government land in Thrissur.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Mr. Sivasankar on suspicion of helping Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the UAE consulate linked gold smuggling case, launder and layer the proceeds from the crime.
He is currently in judicial remand in Kakkanad Sub Jail after facing days of custodial interrogation by ED agents. The VACB would soon move the Principal District and Sessions Court, Kochi, to question Mr. Sivasankar in custody.
The detection of huge sum of money in a bank locker held by Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the gold smuggling case, had blown the lid of a Pandora’s box of allegations against Mr. Sivasankar.
Swapna had deposed in a court that the cash was the commission she received for pushing the Life Mission-UAE Red Crescent contract in the direction of the builder. She had also alleged that she had canvassed the builder at the behest of Mr. Sivasankar.
Life Mission officials reportedly told the VACB that Mr. Sivasankar had shown undue haste in awarding the contract to the “favoured” builder. The businessperson also deposed that he had paid ₹4 crore to Swapna and others to bag the deal.
They had allegedly told him that a bulk of the backhander would go to at least two UAE consulate officials responsible for executing the contract. The builder had also deposed that a set of expensive smartphones were also part of the bribe. The ED later “recovered” one of the phones from Mr. Sivasankar.
The VACB had reportedly said in its preliminary examination report that the ED’s finding revealed a prima facie offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Investigators said UAE Red Crescent deposited an estimated ₹14 crore in the account of the builder. As a set-off against the bribe, Life Mission whittled down the number of dwellings from 199 to 144, thereby causing loss to the government and undue pecuniary advantage to the builder, the VACB stated. It has deemed Mr. Sivasankar’s alleged acceptance of the phone as an act of corruption.
