Kochi: A special court Friday permitted CBI
to conduct further investigation in a graft case in which
CPI(M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan is an accused.
The case relates to award of contracts to renovate three
hydel projects to Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin in 1998 when
Vijayan was Power minister.
Judge K P Jyothindranath allowed the CBI to carry on the
investigation while dismissing a petition filed by `Crime`
magazine editor T P Nandakumar.
The court also issued summons to S N C Lavalin and a
non-bailable warrant to Claus Trendl, the vice president of
the company.
The petitioner had raised several allegations against the
accused in the case, particularly Vijayan, who is the seventh
accused.
When the case came up, three accused -- K Mohanachandran,
Siddharthan Menon and A Francis -- were present. Vijayan, who
is in Dubai, was not present in the court.
The court directed the CBI prosecutor to furnish the
office address of the Lavalin company in India, if any.
On April 21, CBI had said it had not given a `clean chit`
to any of the accused in the graft case.
Charges under 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) and 420
(cheating) of the IPC and 13 (2) and 13(1) of the Prevention
of Corruption Act had been filed against Vijayan. The Lavalin
company had got an illegal benefit of Rs 86 crore through the
deal, CBI claimed.
CBI counsel had said petitioner could not dictate to the
investigating agency on how the probe should be conducted. If
valuable evidence was received, CBI would probe it, it had
said.
PTI
