Vigilance Court to consider palmolein case tomorrow

Wednesday, February 22, 2012: The Thrissur Vigilance Court will consider the palmolein case on Wednesday. Biju Manohar has been appointed as special prosecutor in Palmolein case.
PA Ahamed, the former Special Prosecutor in the case has resigned on Thursday. Sources said that Ahamed quit as he couldn’t agree with the vigilance department move to sabotage the case.
Last year, a vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram had ordered a probe to ascertain if Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had any role in the case. Though Chandy was not an accused in the case originally, his name figured following a discharge petition filed by former food minister TH Mustaffa.
Mustaffa, an accused in the case, had pleaded that justice given to Chandy by not making him an accused in the case should be given to him (Mustaffa) also.
Seizing on the development, the previous CPI(M) led-LDF government filed a petition seeking further investigation in the case, stating more persons were likely to become accused.
The case relates to loss to the tune of Rs 2.32 core allegedly caused to the exchequer by import of palmolein in 1991-1992 when late Congress leader K Karunakaran was the chief minister and PJ Thomas, the Food Secretary and a member of the Board of the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation.