THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after a Vigilance team carried out an inspection at the house of additional chief secretary K.M. Abraham, the senior IAS officer petitioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan raising apprehensions that Vigilance director Jacob Thomas was attempting to intimidate him as the finance inspection wing was finalising a report against Mr Thomas. A Vigilance team carried out an inspection at the flat of Mr Abraham at Millennium Apartments at Jagathy in the city as part of a preliminary inquiry into an allegation of amassment of illegal wealth.
In the representation to the Chief Minister, Mr K.M. Abraham said that one of the Vigilance officers who conducted the inspection said that the inspection was being done as per the ‘orders from above.’ “From the manner in which the search was authorised on the ‘orders from above’ even prior to taking a preliminary statement from me, I have genuine apprehensions that Jacob Thomas was attempting to intimidate me and the officers of finance inspection wing for completing the report and was thereby attempting to thwart the process of a fair and impartial inquiry,” said Mr Abraham in his representation.
He further said that Mr Jacob Thomas had owned a similar flat in the same apartments and hence ordering a search to measure the flat could have been avoided. A team from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) special cell carried out the inspection at the flat on Wednesday, mainly to assess its value. Mr Abraham was in the office while the VACB team reached the flat at Jagathy, and only his wife and maids were present at the house. The Vigilance team took measurements of the house.
VACB officials said that it was just an inspection as part of the preliminary inquiry, which was ordered by a court. The inspection is being misinterpreted as a raid, they said. Mr Abraham alleged that almost at the same time the Vigilance party reached his house, a television channel scrolled the news that a search was going on at his house. He also said that the Vigilance party chose to visit his house at 11 am knowing that he would be away in his office and that only his wife would be present there. The Vigilance party did not produce any search warrant and there was no woman officer.
“It is customary for the Vigilance department to inform the officer first before coming to measure the house. No such courtesy was extended to me despite the fact that I am one of the seniormost civil servants of the state,” said the representation. Mr Abraham also said that he had sent a detailed explanation to the Vigilance department earlier. “The Vigilance should have first examined the same and then approached me for any missing details before searching my house,” said Mr. Abraham.
The Inquiry Commissioner and Special Court here had ordered a preliminary inquiry into the allegation that Mr. Abraham amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Vigilance director was directed to submit the inquiry report by November 7. The allegation against Mr. Abraham was that he was repaying heavy monthly instalment towards loans taken to purchase a flat in Mumbai city and another one in Thiruvananthapuram. It was also alleged that he did not disclose the details of a shopping complex constructed by him in Kollam as well as property details of his family members in his annual property statements.
