CBI names six accused in chargesheet in Kerala Wadakkanchery Life Mission scam case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the controversial Wadakkanchery LIFE Mission corruption case has submitted the preliminary chargesheet at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the controversial Wadakkanchery LIFE Mission corruption case has submitted the preliminary chargesheet at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here earlier this month. It named six who were accused of large-scale financial irregularities in the execution of the project. Santhosh Eappen, managing partner of Unitac Builders, has been arraigned as the first accused, his construction firm Sane Ventures the second accused, and the LIFE Mission project the third accused. Sandeep Nair, P.S. Sarith, and Swapna Suresh, former UAE Consulate employees, are the fourth, fifth, and sixth accused respectively.
Though arraigned as seventh accused in the case, the name of M. Sivasankar, Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is missing from the preliminary chargesheet. LIFE Mission CEO U.V. Jose has also been left out of the initial chargesheet. The investigation agency is likely to file a supplementary chargesheet based on additional evidence that may emerge on receiving more records from the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The alleged corruption in the housing project meant for rehabilitating the 2018 flood victims had turned out to be the biggest political hot potato for the first Pinarayi Vijayan government The LIFE Mission housing project at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur was reportedly funded through ₹21 crore from the UAE Red Crescent, which had agreed to finance the construction of apartment complexes and a health-care facility.
The case was registered based on a complaint by former Wadakkanchery MLA Anil Akkara, who alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and corruption. The CBI case was that the project was awarded to firms controlled by Mr. Eappen bypassing established government norms and allegedly overlooking eligible empanelled agencies, including the Habitat Technology Group. The accused named in the chargesheet allegedly hatched a conspiracy to siphon off ₹4.5 crore from the project as commissions and kickbacks. Allegedly, Mr. Eappen diverted another ₹5 crore as unlawful profit share, substantially inflating the project cost. As per the chargesheet, only around ₹10 crore of the ₹21 crore was utilised for construction.
The alleged corruption ultimately stalled the project and deprived flood-affected beneficiaries of the promised housing. Also, the number of units dropped from the original 203 to 140. A parallel investigation in the case by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is also under way.
The BriefWire