Contractor Sajan's revelation against Gyanesh Kumar; Home Minister gives nod for probe

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has given permission for an investigation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The investigation will be carried out on the revelation made by contractor Sajan. With the file now forwarded to the Chief Minister, further investigation into the case is set to begin. Sajan had alleged that Gyanesh Kumar, who was then the Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary, had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Lee, who later died by suicide. Sajan was a subcontractor of PATI Bel consortium for which Lee worked as a project manager.

"I had taken up a material supply contract from PATI Bel. Gyanesh Kumar, who was then the PWD Secretary, did not clear the bills submitted by PATI Bel, which had secured the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) contract. Lee Seen Been was under severe mental distress. He told me that Gyanesh Kumar had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore to clear the bills," Sajan said.

"Lee was living near my house in Chadayamangalam. The initial Vigilance investigation was aimed at giving Gyanesh Kumar a clean chit. The Vigilance team did not even record statements from me and others who had taken up work from PATI Bel. A comprehensive investigation should be conducted into the incident. I have also filed a complaint with the Vigilance Director," Sajan told the media.

The consortium had secured a contract worth Rs 215 crore to construct a 127-km stretch of MC Road. It comprised Malaysian company PATI and Kerala-based Bhageeratha Engineering Limited. As per the agreement, the construction was to be completed by December 2005. However, the deadline was extended to May 2006 as the work remained incomplete. Since the project was still not completed, the government withheld bills worth Rs 17 crore. The contractors had liabilities of Rs 12.5 crore payable to various agencies.

The delay in receiving the pending payments from the government left Lee mentally distressed. He informed the company management that the government had sought compensation from him. However, the company refused to pay, stating that it was not responsible for the government's failure to acquire the land and hand it over for construction on time. This put Lee under severe pressure, following which he returned to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was later found hanging beneath an iron bridge near a lake at Subang Ria Park. It is learnt that Lee had referred to widespread corruption among Kerala government officials in his suicide note. In 2007, the government paid the company Rs 35 crore as compensation. The MC Road project eventually incurred an additional expenditure of several crores of rupees.