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Keralam Reopens 2006 Bribery Probe Involving Gyanesh Kumar
A road project in Keralam ran into delays and disagreements over payment.
A Malaysian manager working on the project later died by suicide.
Reports said a note he left accused some Public Works Department officials of asking for bribes, and it reportedly named Gyanesh Kumar.
The note was not made public, and the article does not say that the allegation was proven.
Kumar was removed from his state job in December 2006, while a vigilance inquiry was ordered.
Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Vengopal says that inquiry stopped partway through.
The state government has now ordered the old case to be investigated again.
This comes as opposition leaders are also calling for Kumar to resign from his current election post over separate allegations about voter-roll revisions.
Keralam’s government directed its Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to reopen a 2006 bribery probe involving then-PWD secretary Gyanesh Kumar.
The allegation arose from a reported suicide note by Malaysian project manager Lee See Been, which was never made public.
The alleged bribes concerned bills for the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project, undertaken by the PATI-BEL joint venture.
Kumar was removed as PWD secretary in December 2006, and the article says the original vigilance investigation stalled before completion.
The reopening follows a petition by Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Vengopal, amid current opposition demands for Kumar’s resignation as Chief Election Commissioner.
- Who
- Keralam’s government, through its Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, is reopening an inquiry involving then-PWD secretary Gyanesh Kumar; the allegation was reportedly made by project manager Lee See Been.
- What
- A 2006 investigation into alleged bribe requests linked to payments for the Kerala State Transport Project is being reopened.
- Where
- The project was in Keralam; Lee See Been died in Kuala Lumpur.
- When
- The allegation and original inquiry date to 2006; the government’s reopening order was reported as issued on Sunday, October 4.
- Why
- The reopening followed a petition by Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Vengopal, who said the earlier investigation had been stopped midway.
Allegation and call for renewed scrutiny
Unresolved evidence and inquiry status
Whether officials sought bribes
Allegation and call for renewed scrutiny
Reports said Lee See Been’s suicide note alleged that PWD officials sought bribes to clear bills and reportedly named Gyanesh Kumar.
Unresolved evidence and inquiry status
The note was never made public, and the article reports no finding that the alleged bribes occurred.
Whether the original probe was completed
Allegation and call for renewed scrutiny
Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Vengopal said the earlier vigilance investigation was torpedoed midway, prompting his petition to reopen it.
Unresolved evidence and inquiry status
The article does not provide the original investigators’ findings or a detailed account explaining why the probe did not proceed.
Key facts
- Project
- Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), a road-modernisation project supported by a World Bank loan.
- Project cost
- The article describes the project as costing Rs 1,600 crore.
- Contract
- The PATI-BEL joint venture took work worth Rs 216 crore.
- Payment dispute
- PATI-BEL sought a 30% increase in the contract amount; the finance department refused.
- Reported death
- Lee See Been died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur on November 11, 2006.
- Kumar’s role
- Gyanesh Kumar was then secretary of the state Public Works Department and was removed from the post in December 2006.
- Reopening
- The state directed its Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to reopen the probe after Malayinkeezhu Vengopal’s petition.
Sources
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