THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister K M Mani who is already caught in the quagmire of bar bribery allegation, on Tuesday, had to face another allegation of bribery to the tune of Rs 116 crore.
Representing the Opposition, CPM leader and MLA Sivankutty alleged that Mani had incurred a loss of Rs 116 crore to the government by staying the revenue recovery procedures to certain groups. He said this leniency was shown till March 2014.
Sivankutty said, because of Mani’s decision, certain gold merchants got a concession of Rs 16.55 crore, Ayurveda Medical Hospital got 50 crore and an Ernakulam-based construction company got Rs 16.21 crore. “Mani also tried to give Bar Association working president Biju Ramesh Rs 10 crore to withdraw from the bar bribery case. Mani tried to approach Biju through the former’s son in law’s friend and George, a real-estate agent, who acted as the middleman.”
The MLA also presented a CD purportedly containing 1 hour 54 minute conversation between the four in this regard.
“After conversation goes on for one hour 32 minutes, George says that Rs 10 crore could be given to Biju for backing off from the case. But, Biju doesn’t budge and says even Mani’s entire wealth will not change his mind. Even after this failed deal, Mani continued to influence Biju and now one Radhakrishna Pillai is acting as an agent,” Sivankutty alleged.
Describing Mani as the Reliance of Kerala, the CPM MLA sought an NIA investigation into Mani’s “disproportionate wealth”.
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