Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Manichan says he did not bribe politicians, officials

Special Correspondent

Trial of case against Bhargavi Thankappan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The liquor contractor Manichan, who was convicted for murder in the Kalluvathukkal liquor tragedy, on Saturday deposed in the Vigilance Special Court here in the case in which the former CPI leader Bhargavi Thankappan stands accused of accepting a bribe of Rs.2.7 lakhs from him.

Hostile stance

Manichan, who appeared as a prosecution witness, took a hostile stance and stated that he had not paid any bribes to politicians or officials as alleged. He said he had paid his income tax dues and the account-book in which the bribe payments were recorded, had surfaced only after the case against him came up.

According to the prosecution, Ms. Thankappan had accepted Rs.2.7 lakhs from the contractor at the rate of Rs.15,000 per month as a reward for favours done to him for the smooth running of his illicit liquor business. Ms. Thankappan was also present in the court. The judge has so far examined 15 prosecution witnesses in the case out of a total of 34.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) here had filed chargesheets against 15 persons, including politicians, policemen and Excise officials, in March last year, accusing them of accepting bribes from Manichan. The cases are mainly based on the unbound account book seized by the Income Tax Department during a raid on the contractor's premises in 1999.

Trial in progress

The trial of the former CPI(M) MLA Kadakampally Surendran in a connected case is in progress. Mr. Surendran stands accused of taking a bribe of Rs.50,000 from Manichan as a one-time payment.

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