Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to examine fresh bribery allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, including claims that an alleged bribe demand over a road project contributed to the 2006 suicide of a Malaysian engineer.The move comes amid protests by the Congress and other opposition parties against Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across the country. The allegations have not been established, and Kumar has not responded to them so far.In a complaint submitted to the Vigilance Director, Sajan, a former contractor from Kollam district, alleged that Kumar had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore to release payments for completed work under the Kerala State Transport Project.
Kumar was the state's Public Works Department secretary at the time.Sajan alleged that Kumar deliberately withheld cheques for bills worth about Rs 17 crore that had already been approved by engineers. He claimed this caused financial difficulties for Malaysian company PATI-BEL, its contractors and workers.
According to the complaint, the company's project engineer, Malaysian national Lee See Been, had told Sajan that Kumar was refusing to release the cheques unless the company paid the alleged bribe, news agency PTI reported.“When I suggested that they pay something and settle the issue, they told me that the authorities of PATI-BEL were not permitting them to obtain the cheques by paying a bribe,” Sajan alleged in his complaint. Sajan claimed that Lee used funds from another company project in Bengaluru to settle part of the outstanding payments owed to contractors and workers.
He further alleged that the delay in releasing the approved bills and the alleged bribe demand contributed to Lee's suicide in 2006.The complainant also claimed that Lee had mentioned Kumar's role in a suicide note and that Lee's family members in Malaysia had informed company employees about it.Sajan said the earlier Vigilance investigation into the incident had not questioned him or others who had direct knowledge of the alleged bribe demand. He offered to produce Lee's family members, former company employees and other witnesses to provide evidence.Based on the complaint, the Vigilance department sought the Home Department's permission to register a case after conducting a preliminary inquiry.
Chennithala ordered the enquiry after receiving legal advice, sources told PTI.The latest complaint is expected to be examined by the Vigilance team already conducting a preliminary enquiry into the Kerala State Transport Project allegations on Chennithala's directions. The minister had ordered a Vigilance probe on October 4 after receiving a complaint from Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal.The case concerns alleged corruption in the upgrading of MC Road under the transport project, which was undertaken by the PATI-BEL consortium.
Kumar was serving as Keralam's Public Works Department secretary during that period.A Vigilance enquiry was initiated in 2006 after Lee's death but was later closed without further action as the allegations were not established, according to reports. The fresh enquiry is also expected to examine whether the earlier investigation overlooked crucial aspects of the allegations.The VACB will now examine the fresh complaint and the earlier handling of the case.
The claims against Kumar remain unproven, and the Chief Election Commissioner has not responded to the allegations.- Ends