SNC-Lavalin case: ED summons scribe who filed complaint against Vijayan
Mar 04, 2021
Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 4 : The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday served a notice to journalist TP Nandakumar and summoned him to its Kochi office in connection with the SNC-Lavalin corruption case in Kerala.
ED has asked Nandakumar to reach its office at 11 am on Friday with evidence related to the SNC-Lavalin corruption case in which Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was one of the accused.
In 2006, Nandakumar had filed a complaint with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) against Vijayan, current Kerala Finance Minister TM Thomas Issac, and Communist Party of India (Marxist) polit bureau member MA Baby.
Vijayan was accused of allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy while he was serving as the Electricity Minister of Kerala from May 1996 to October 1998.
Vijayan and other senior executives of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) -- former Power Department secretary K Mohanachandran and former joint secretary A Francis -- were accused of allegedly awarding the contract for renovation and modernisation of few hydroelectric projects to a Canada-based company SNC-Lavalin at exorbitant rates.
However, the CBI court acquitted Vijayan and Kerala High Court withheld the decision due to lack of evidence against him. A plea against his acquittal by CBI is still pending in the Supreme Court.
