THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan and four others in connection with the Rs 15-crore micro- finance corruption allegation raised by CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan. According to the first-information-report filed at the Inquiry Commissioner and Special Court (Vigilance) here on Monday, prima facie there was evidence for the alleged irregularities in taking loan at low rates from the Kerala State Backward Development Corporation and disbursing it at higher rate.
SNDP Yogam president M.N. Soman, finance coordinator K.M. Mahesan, Kerala State Backward Classes Development Corporation (KSBCDC) former managing director N.Najeeb and current managing director Dileep Kumar are the others arraigned in the case. The offences included in the FIR were financial misappropriation , criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating.
The alleged corruption was carried out between 2003 and 2015. The loan taken at a low rate of around three percent was disbursed at a higher rate of around 18 percent under SNDP Yogam’s micro-finance scheme. The Vigilance counsel had earlier stated before the court that a confidential Vigilance verification had detected irregularities to the tune of Rs 80.3 lakh.
While the case came up before the court on Wednesday, the VACB had sought two weeks’ time to file the final report and the court had granted the same. However, the VACB later decided to file the FIR on Thursday itself as prima facie a cognizable offence was involved. Vigilance Southern-range had probed the case.
