The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has told a court here that it suspected that former Health Minister and Congress legislator V.S. Sivakumar had acquired properties in the name of other persons to park “ill-gotten” wealth out of the public eye and away from income tax assessors.
Mr. Sivakumar has since denied the charge as politically motivated. But, it did not stop the agency to accuse in court filings that a close associate of the politician acquired at least 13 plots during Mr. Sivakumar’s term in office between 2011-16.
The agency raided the residences of Mr. Sivakumar and that of persons suspected to be his “benamis” last week.
In a search report filed in the anti-corruption court here, the agency indicated that Mr. Sivakumar’s associates could also have used offshore accounts of non-resident Keralites to stash away unaccounted money.
The agency also said it had stumbled upon keys of bank lockers, which it would soon open in the presence of independent witnesses for examination. It had requested the bank to freeze the accounts of the suspects.
Prime properties
The agency said Mr. Sivakumar’s associate who had acquired the prime properties did so in rapid succession. He could not explain his source of wealth satisfactorily.
The agency was verifying whether there was any evasion of land tax. It had moved the Revenue Department to halt further transactions related to the properties.
Mr. Sivakumar had also held the Devaswom portfolio in the Oommen Chandy government. The VACB might re-examine at least a few corruption charges that had come up during that period to find out whether they had any bearing on its amassment of wealth case against the Congress leader.
The agency is planning to summon Mr. Sivakumar and his associates for questioning.
The Governor had allowed the agency to prosecute the former Minister. The disproportionate assets case against Mr. Sivakumar has come at a politically inconvenient time for the Congress, which is attempting to put the government on the defensive in the run-up to the local body polls and the by-election in Kuttanad.
