Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Governor, O P Mathur, has granted sanction to prosecute former Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with alleged irregularities surrounding a failed bid to bring football star Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team to the state. Abdurahiman is among four accused in the case. The others are Anto Augustine, owner of Reporter Channel; Abdurahiman’s former private secretary C. Sathyapalan; and former Sports Council president U. Sharafali. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has alleged that the then-minister misused his official position to award a sponsorship contract to Reporter Broadcasting Company without following proper tender procedures, thereby securing undue financial benefit for the firm.
Investigators found evidence of large-scale irregularities and a conspiracy in the sponsorship deal linked to the proposed Messi visit. According to the SIT, the arrangement was designed to favour the broadcasting company.
Since Abdurahiman was a sitting minister when the alleged offence occurred, prior sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was mandatory before prosecution could begin. The Governor has now approved the relevant file.
Sathyapalan, the former private secretary, reportedly told the SIT that the sponsorship was awarded to the broadcasting company at the minister’s specific request. This development places the opposition LDF and the CPI(M) on the defensive, as Abdurahiman served as a minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government. The party had earlier dismissed the corruption allegations against him as politically motivated.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
