Palm oil case against ex-CM opened

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 12: The Marxist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in Kerala today decided to proceed with the corruption case against former Chief Minister K Karunakaran in the Rs 2.80 crore palm oil import 'scam' during 1991-92.

Announcing this after a meeting of the State Cabinet, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the decision taken by the previous government to withdraw the case had been cancelled and now the government would go ahead with the case.

Mr Achuthanandan, the then Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, had questioned the decision of the Oommen Chandy Government in the Supreme Court.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Special Cell, Thiruvananthapuram, registered a case against Mr Karunakaran and seven others in 1997 under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, accusing Mr Karunakaran and others of criminal conspiracy causing a loss of Rs 2.80 crore to the state exchequer on account of import of 15,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia at an enhanced price.

However, Mr Karunakaran claimed that the case was a political conspiracy to defame him.

UNI