KOCHI: Saritha Nair, key accused in the solar scandal, told the Justice G Sivarajan Commission probing the issue on Friday that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had asked her to form a company with his son Chandy Oommen as a partner.
Claiming that she only had business relationship with Chandy Oommen, Saritha denied a report that she had illicit relationship with the chief minister’s son.
Saritha, however, said Chandy Oommen had an affair with another woman accused in the solar case and she had the evidence of the two traveling together to Dubai.
But, she declined to reveal the name of the woman and said that former home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishan had collected the evidence of the relationship and used the same as a bargaining chip with the chief minister.
On the third day of her deposition before the commission, Saritha said during her meeting with the chief minister at Kadaplamattom, Oommen Chandy told her about the need for registering a firm as a cooperative society with his son and relatives as partners.
Saritha also refuted the chief minister’s claim that the government had not provided any help to Team Solar Company of Saritha and co-accused Biju Radhakrishnan.
According to her, Team Solar was operating as a franchise of Hyderabad-based Surana Ventures, which had bagged several government projects in the state.
It got government tenders at low rates with the help of electricity minister Aryadan Mohammad. She said that a delay in payment of Rs 35-lakh from ANERT was resolved with the help of the chief minister. She said that the commission could call for the relevant files from ANERT.
Although government pleader Roshen D. Alexander made strong objections to Saritha seeking an adjournment of the deposition on Friday, the commission consented to her demand and fixed further hearing on Monday.
The commission, however, asked her to complete her deposition on Monday itself.
