T’puram: CM V D Satheesan said on Wednesday that his govt did no investigation into the Punarjani project after it assumed office, asserting that all vigilance enquiries and findings were made during the previous LDF govt’s tenure. He was responding to questions on the govt’s decision to close the VACB case, which home minister Ramesh Chennithala had announced earlier.Satheesan said the allegations first surfaced in the assembly in 2020 and that he had requested the then CM to order a vigilance probe. Following the enquiry, VACB submitted a preliminary report stating that no irregularities had been detected and the then govt accepted it. A complainant subsequently approached HC challenging the findings, but the single bench dismissed the plea. An appeal before the division bench was also dismissed, said the CM.Satheesan said that after he became the opposition leader, another case was filed on June 14, 2023 and a fresh VACB enquiry was ordered. The report submitted on Sept 7, 2023 concluded that the enquiry could not discover any evidence to substantiate the allegation. The report said the enquiry did not find any evidence of real estate business.The CM said these reports were submitted by two VACB directors before the UDF govt assumed office. He said one report concluded that there was no offence under Prevention of Corruption Act, while another found no violation of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.Despite receiving these reports, the LDF govt did not close the case. During UDF’s camp in Wayanad, the then CMO briefed the media that CBI was set to investigate the matter, he said, adding he had then welcomed a CBI probe.Satheesan said the LDF govt later received legal advice that a CBI probe could not be sustained in a case where VACB found no grounds to file a case. “All enquiries were conducted by LDF govt. Yet the reports were kept aside and a smoke screen was created to give the impression that an investigation against me was continuing. The issue was even used during elections,” he said.Rejecting allegations of political victimisation, Satheesan said he had sought the vigilance enquiry. He added that all details about the project, including the number of houses constructed and the financial assistance provided to beneficiaries, had been furnished to VACB.
