TN: 'Arrest former AIADMK Minister SP Velumani soon'

Chennai, Aug 16: Kamal Hassan's Makkal Needhi Maiam faces revolt after assembly election rout Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), a party that was founded by actor Kamal Haasan in 2018, appealed to arrest the former AIADMK minister SP Velumani.

In a statement released by the party Senthil Arumugam urged to arrest Velumani who was minister for local body administration.

In his statement, Arumugam said that those who indulge in corruption should be sent to prison soon.

"If not, he might indulge in activities like destroying the evidence and causing interruption to the inquiry of the case", he further added.

"Not just in this case, the DVAC sleuths should speed up the inquiry in all the corruption-related cases," the statement added.

He also said that the former minister indulged in many scams by using the power and rendered the government projects and tenders to his relatives and to his wellwishers.

Velumani, who is considered as one of the powerful ministers in the AIADMK regime, along with 16 other individuals and business firms was booked for irregularities committed to issuing contracts between 2014 and 2018 on August 9.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) had earlier froze the bank accounts of the AIADMK leader.

The DVAC, during the searches in 60 locations belonging to Velumani and his friends and relatives on August 10, had seized over Rs.13 lakh in cash and documents such as land registration and fixed deposits to the tune of Rs. two crore.

According to the FIR, abusing his official position, the former minister had allotted projects worth Rs 346.81 crore to companies owned by his relatives in Coimbatore Corporation and works estimated at Rs 464.02 crore in Greater Chennai Corporation during 2014-18. Future course of action, like issuing summons will be taken after proper scrutiny of documents, police said.