The Hindu : Kerala News : Lavalin case probe progressing: CBI

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Tuesday, Feb 19, 2008
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Kerala

Lavalin case probe progressing: CBI

Special Correspondent

Kochi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday informed a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court that the investigation in the SNC Lavalin case was progressing and that the allegation that some ruling political parties were trying to see that the investigation was sabotaged and absolve certain leaders from the case was false.

Taking objection to a writ petition seeking to expedite the investigation, the CBI, in a statement, said that former Electricity Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and G. Karthikeyan would be examined at the appropriate time. The CBI was not under any political pressure to “slow down” the investigation. In fact, no time limit could be fixed for completing the probe as the investigation outside the country had to be undertaken. No government or political leader had interfered with the investigation. The allegation that the investigation had “slowed down” was based on “mere surmises and conjectures.”

The petition filed by T.P. Nandakumar, chief editor, Crime, is now pending before the High Court. The case related to alleged irregularities in the award of contract for the modernisation of the Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar hydroelectric projects and the extension work of the Kuttiyadi irrigation project to the Canada-based company SNC Lavalin. The CBI took over the investigation on a directive from the High Court.

The CBI said that after re-registration of the case, voluminous case files were collected and scrutinized and missing files traced. Since the case pertained to a period since 1995, the investigation involved examination of hundreds of witnesses, most of them retired from service, and “spreads over to various parts of India.”

During the investigation, the CBI collected most of the relevant documents and files numbering around 650 and examined around 100 witnesses, including retired public servants and those serving in various departments. As many as 130 documents were collected in December and January.

The investigation into the financial aspects of the case was also being conducted. A technical study of the work was being carried out through the “Hydro Experts of Central Agency.”

The investigation should be conducted in Canada as well. A fair and impartial investigation on all points was being conducted in a systematic manner, the CBI stated.

Marayur sandal case

The CBI expressed its inability before a Division Bench to take over the investigation in the Marayur sandalwood smuggling case.

When a petition seeking a direction to the CBI to take over the investigation came up for hearing before the Bench, the CBI submitted that it was unable to conduct an investigation in a two-and-a-half-year-old case.

The State government submitted that it wrote to the Union Ministry concerned requesting it to entrust the investigation to the CBI.

The State government had given consent for handing over the investigation to the CBI.

The court directed the CBI to file a detailed affidavit in this regard.

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