CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Bhopal: CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India Epress / ITDC News / Agencies, Bhopal: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar appears to be facing growing trouble. The Kerala government has granted permission to register an FIR against him and conduct a detailed investigation in an alleged bribery case nearly 20 years old. It is alleged that in 2006, while serving as secretary of Kerala’s Public Works Department (PWD), he demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore in exchange for releasing payments for a road construction project. State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to take further action in the matter.
Allegation of bribe demand in Rs 17 crore payment: The case is linked to the development work on MC Road under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). Complainant and contractor V.O. Sajan has alleged that payment of approved bills worth about Rs 17 crore related to the project had been withheld. He claims that the then PWD secretary, Gyanesh Kumar, demanded Rs 2 crore to release the payment. The project work was linked to Malaysian company PATI-BEL and its Indian partners.
The complaint also states that the company’s Malaysian project officer, Lee C Been, allegedly faced mental pressure because of the bribery demand and delay in payment. The matter came to light after his suicide in Malaysia in 2006. His alleged suicide note also made allegations against some officials.
Probe had been closed earlier: A vigilance inquiry was started in the case in 2006, but further action was stopped on the ground that the allegations could not be proved. Now, after a fresh complaint and legal opinion, the matter is being investigated again. The allegations against Gyanesh Kumar have not yet been proved. The new investigation will examine the complainant’s claims, old documents and the role of witnesses. Amid the return of a Congress-led government in Kerala after 10 years, the case has also triggered discussion in political and administrative circles.
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