COURT CONFIRMS CVC'S INVOLVEMENT IN PALMOLEIN SCAM

By Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express

T'Puram, Sept. 25

The Office of the Enquiry Commissioner and Sepcial Judge (Vigilance) here has confirmed that Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) P.J.Thomas is still an accused in the Palmolein corruption case.

In reply to a query under the Right to Information Act, the Office of the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge has also clarified that the charges against any of the eight accused in the case, including Thomas, have not been quashed by the court till date. “ P.J.Thomas continues to be the eighth accused in the array of accused,” says the RTI reply.

The RTI query was sought in the back drop of the Centre maintaining that Thomas, a Kerala-cadre IAS officer, was exonerated in the Palmolein case. Express had earlier reported that the claim of the Centre was false and that Thomas, who was a former Chief Secretary, is still an accused in the case.

The appointment of Thomas to the post had sparked off a controversy with the BJP raising suspicion over his credentials.

Meanwhile, though the Palmolein case came up before the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance) on Saturday there were no proceedings as the case is stayed. The case is now posted to October 23.

Another Kerala-cadre IAS officer Jiji Thomson who has been posted in the Centre as Special Director General of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games, is also an accused in the Palmolein case. Others accused in the case include former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader K.Karunakaran and former Civil Supplies Minister T.H.Mustafa.

http://expressbuzz.com/edition/biography/pj-thomas-still-an-accused-in-palmolein-case/210021.html