Land transfer case involving VS: Factual report to be sent to VACB Directorate

The Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau (VACB) North Zone officials will send a factual report of the probe into the controversial land transfer case against Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan to the VACB Directorate Thiruvananthapuram next month before filing the chargesheet.

Reliable sources with the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau North Zone maintained that the investigation was in its final stage and the factual report, which is a draft report of the probe carried out so far, will be sent to the Directorate by next month.

The sending of the draft report is a prior step to file chargesheet in the case as direction from the Directorate is needed for further proceedings.

The direction from the state government is also needed in filing the chargesheet, added sources. Achuthanandan’s personal assistant A Suresh, eighth accused in the case, will present before officials for questioning after 28 of this month.

So far, officials have questioned VS, the then Revenue Minister K P Rajendran, former Land Revenue Commissioner K R Muraleedharan (third accused), Sheela Thomas, former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister (fourth accused), Achuthanandan’s relative T K Soman (fifth accused), former Kasargod Collector Anand Singh (sixth accused) and Krishnan Kutty (seventh accused) and the remaining person to be questioned is Suresh, added sources. A team of Vigilance officials quizzed VS at his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram on June 23.

As this is an issue considered by the then Cabinet, VACB has to take statements of former ministers and government officials. So far, Vigilance has questioned around 50 important witnesses.

It was in June last year, the Oommen Chandy government, after examining all files related to the transfer of 2.33 acres of land to T K Soman, a relative of Achuthanandan and an ex-serviceman, ordered a probe by the Vigilance department. According to government norms, when the land is given to people in the Defence category, it should not exceed more than one acre. But Soman was given 2.33 acres in Kasargod district. It is learnt that the investigators obtained crucial clues that the former Chief Minister had conspired and connived with the other accused to favour his kin in the allotment of the government land. There is clear evidence for the foul play and misconduct behind the handing over of the land.