CBI Questioned tainted CPM Party Secretary over Rs 89 Crore Scam

Chennai: The CBI questioned Kerala CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on the controversial SNC-Lavalin scam at CBI Office, Chennai on 18 May secretly. This is the first time in the history of CPM that a senior leader holding the positions of a state secretary and a polit bureau member is being questioned by a central investigating agency.

While all other former Electricity Ministers and bureaucrats involved in the scam were questioned in Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan alone was questioned outside Kerala. It is learned that CPM secretary himself has requested for a location outside Kerala for appearing before the CBI .CBI investigation was mainly about how the consultancy contract was converted into a supply contract .CBI has asked him what is the circumstances under which the E.Balanandan report was scrapped.

The issue involves a contract that the Kerala State Electricity Board, under Pinarayi Vijayan, who was electricity minister in 1996, awarded to SNC-Lavalin Inc, a Canadian company for renovation work on three of the state’s hydel projects.

CBI has also asked him to explain the situations that lead to giving the contract to the Canadian company SNC Lavlin.CBI has asked him how many crores were offered by SNL Lavlin for Malabar Cancer Centre and how much they received. He was also asked about the actions taken to get the remaining money from SNC Lavlin. They have also collected the details of foreign trips made by Pinarayi Vijayan in this connection.