SNC Lavalin scam: Court refuses to include Antony as witness

Kochi, Jan 4 (ANI): A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday dismissed the plea of senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan to include Defence Minister A.K. Antony as a witness in the multi crore SNC Lavalin graft case.

Dismissing Vijayan's petition, Judge K.P. Jyothindranath asked the CBI to go ahead in the case.

In June 2009, the CBI had filed chargesheets against nine accused, including Vijayan, in the Rs.374 crore scam in a deal with Canadian company SNC Lavalin.

Vijayan, is accused of illegally awarding a contract to the SNC Lavalin Company for renovating three power plants when he was the Kerala's Power Minister in 1997.

In September2009, Vijayan's counsel had approached the court to include Antony as a witness because a crucial discussion in the renovation of the project took place when Antony was State's Chief Minister in 1996.

Vijayan was granted bail Dec 30, 2009. (ANI)