The Kerala Police's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Friday recorded the statement of BJP national vice president A P Abdullakutty in a case dating back to 2016.
The VACB sleuths took the statement of the BJP leader at his residence in Kannur's Pallikkunnu.
The VACB action followed a complaint about misappropriation of funds sanctioned for setting up lights and sound show at the Kannur fort. A sum of Rs 1 crore was sanctioned for the project which was implemented in a haste during the final days of the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government in 2016. Abdullakutty was with the Congress then and the MLA representing the Kannur constituency.
The project was designed in association with the District Tourism Promotion Council as part of renovating the fort. Around Rs 1 crore was spent for purchasing the equipment for the project. However, the light and show was carried out just one day in 2018.
Abdullakutty said there was misappropriation of funds in the project, but he had no role in it.
The Vigilance case has come up at a time when BJP leaders including state president K Surendran are facing probe in a hawala money case.
A two-time CPM MP, Abdullakutty was first expelled from the Left party in 2009 for expressing admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Kutty later joined the Congress and was elected to the state assembly twice.
The Congress had in June 2019 expelled him from the party days after he lavished praise on Modi for the BJP-led NDA's massive victory in the 2019 general election. The saffron party later appointed him a national vice president.
