Nearly a year after the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau submitted its report, the Kerala government is taking steps to act on a recommendation for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against V.D. Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
The recommendation is related to alleged irregularities in receiving foreign funds for the ‘Punarjani’ rehabilitation project in Satheesan’s Paravur Assembly constituency following the 2018 floods.
The Vigilance report did not find grounds to register a case but suggested that the CBI could investigate the mobilization and utilization of foreign funds. This move has sparked political reactions as the state approaches the upcoming Assembly elections.
The timing of this decision has raised criticism from the opposition, who see it as politically motivated with the elections drawing near.
The ‘Punarjani’ project aimed to provide new houses to around 280 flood-affected families in Paravur, with some homes sponsored by expatriate Malayalis. A complaint about illegal foreign fundraising was filed by Jason Panikulam, a member of the Chalakudy-based Catholic Action Council.
