The Chief Minister, a witness in the case, had already given a written statement to the commission and agreed to appear before it personally, when asked to do so. The deposition which started at 10.30 am on Monday lasted till 1 am on Tuesday with only two brief breaks for lunch and dinner.
Advertisement
Hemachandran, had told the commission that the police had received no specific complaints against the three persons removed from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) after the scandal broke, the judge said.
The commission that has its office at Kochi, however, moved base for a day to the capital city and held its sitting here. “This alleged scam has not cost the exchequer even one rupee”, the Chief Minister told the commission regarding the cheques amounting to Rs 4 lakh he received front Team Solar.
Chandy said he had met Sreedharan Nair, but could not recall whether Saritha had come along with him. Chandy was examined by the commission and by the lawyer of prime accused Biju Radhakrishnan late night.
He claimed that no financial losses were incurred by the state in the scam that came to light in 2013 following a revelation that some of the chief minister’s personal staff were in close contact with Saritha.
Chandy had said that his government had ensured punishment to the fraudsters who were committing the crime since 2005 and that the conviction and sentence of the accused clearly showed his government’s commitment towards the scam, he added. “He submitted certain family matters before me”.
The scam, which is being probed by a commission headed by Justice G Sivaraman, was constituted by the Chief Minister in 2013 following massive protests by the Left-led opposition. The duo allegedly canvassed business by using high-level names, including that of Chandy.
Advertisement
While Saritha was granted bail after remaining behind bars for some nine months, Radhakrishnan is still in jail in connection with the murder of his wife.
