THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Wednesday filed the further investigation report in the bar bribery case endorsing its earlier conclusion that there was no scope to prosecute former finance minister K.M. Mani, citing the alibi of the bar owners.
The report filed by Special Investigation Unit SP R.S. Sukesan in the court of Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance) here counters various circumstantial evidence pointed out by the court while ordering the further probe in October. It also stuck to its earlier stand that there was no evidence for demand or acceptance of bribe or any favours done by Mr Mani to bar owners.
According to the VACB, the circumstantial evidence with regard to the presence of bar owners handing over bribe to Mr Mani at his Pala residence and ministerial residence in Cliff House compound on March 22, 2014 and April 2, 2014 respectively was disproved by the mobile phone location and call details records of the accused.
Kottayam-based bar owner Saju Dominic had alleged that he handed over Rs 15 lakh to Kerala Bar Hotels Association (KBHA) state treasurer Thankachan and bar owner John Kallat near Mr Mani's house at Pala on March 22, 2014 and that the two went inside Mr Mani's house with the money. But the VACB further investigation report says that as per mobile phone tower location details, Saju Dominic was at Ponkunnan during that day.
The VACB reports also maintains that as per bar owner Biju Ramesh's driver Ambili's statement, KBHA president Rajkumar Unni was present at Pazhavangadi while Thiruvananthapuram-based bar owner Sunil and Surendran handed over contributions to bribe the minister. But as per mobile tower records, Rajkumar Unni's phone was under the tower at Transport Bhavan and hence it could be assumed that he was at Biju Ramesh's hotel near Transport Bhavan at that time.
As per the vehicle register of Cliff House compound, Biju Ramesh's car went to Mr Mani's house in Cliff House by 6.55 on April 2, 2014. But within five minutes, Rajkumar Unni had phoned Ambili and thereafter his mobile phone was found to be moving away from Cliff House premises as per the mobile location details. Hence Ambili's statement that after dropping Rajkumar at Mr Mani's residence, he went to the house of one Srivalsan at nearby Nanthencode to take the money collected from bar owners and handed it over to Rajkumar was false as Rajkumar was present on the Cliff House premises hardly for five minutes.
The further investigation also justifies the postponing of cabinet decision pertaining to bar licence renewal from March 26, 2014 to April 2, 2014, citing that as per the government's rules of business, such issues have to be referred to the law department. It is also learnt that the investigation officer had sought an opinion from advocate-general K.P. Dhandapani on subjecting the CD containing audio records of bar owners submitted by Biju Ramesh and the AG had opined that since those were prima facie found to be fabricated, it could not be considered as an evidence.
Meanwhile, the Vigilance also submitted the preliminary inquiry report conducted by its Ernakulam unit into the allegations against Excise Minister K. Babu in the Vigilance court here on Wednesday as the allegations pertained to that probe were raised by Biju Ramesh in the statement given by him in connection with the probe against Mr Mani.
