Satheesan govt gives sanction to proscute Congress neta in cashew corporation graft case

Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF govt has granted sanction to prosecute INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan and others in the CBI case related to alleged irregularities in the import of raw cashew by the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation between 2006 and 2015, it is reliably learnt.The decision marks a significant departure from the stand taken by the previous LDF govt, which had denied prosecution sanction on three occasions despite repeated directions from the Kerala high court.The Pinarayi Vijayan govt had maintained that the CBI had only identified procedural irregularities and not criminal misconduct warranting prosecution. However, with the court taking a stricter view of the matter, the new govt decided to proceed with the sanction.

Sources said CM V D Satheesan favoured complying with the high court’s directions and allowing the legal process to continue.CBI has alleged that corruption and irregularities involving around Rs 500 crore took place during the period. According to the agency, senior officials and others associated with the corporation imported low-quality raw cashew at inflated prices, causing substantial losses to the public exchequer.

Among those named as accused are former corporation chairman Chandrasekharan, who is currently the INTUC state president, and former MD K A Ratheesh. CBI had sought sanction to prosecute the officials and political functionaries named in its chargesheet, but the state govt had repeatedly declined approval.