Thiruvananthapuram: The Lok Ayukta has initiated a probe against Mr Jacob Thomas, director-general, Institute of Management in Government, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the purchase of a dredger while serving as director of ports. A bench comprising Lok Ayukta Pius C. Kuriakose and Upa Lok Ayukta K.P. Balachandran issued a notice to Mr Jacob Thomas to appear before it in this connection on August 1. A petition was filed by one Berby Fernandez raising four allegations against Mr Jacob Thomas. Three of them were rejected by the Lok Ayukta for want of sufficient evidence.
However, the petitioner produced the copy of a finance inspection wing report on the alleged irregularities in the dredger purchase. Subsequently, the court admitted the petition and issued notice to Mr Jacob Thomas. The report finalised by Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) K.M. Abraham had found Mr Jacob Thomas guilty of criminal offences, besides causing pecuniary loss of about Rs. 15 crore to the state ex-chequer in the purchase of cutter suction dredger from a foreign firm IHC Merwede overlooking the lowest tender by the public sector firm BEML. Former chief secretary S.M. Vijayanand even recommended a high-level inquiry against Mr Jacob Thomas in this connection while the latter was serving as Vigilance director. After sitting on the file for more than a month, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought the opinion of director- general of prosecution on the matter. But it is also pending for months.
The other allegations rejected by the court included Mr Thomas’s service with a private educational institution without government permission and forest land encroachment in Karnataka.
