Kochi: Dealing a blow to former public works minister and Muslim League leader V K Ebrahim Kunju, the High Court on Wednesday lifted the stay it had imposed on the Enforcement Directorate's investigation into the Palarivattom flyover corruption case.
A division bench, comprising Justices Mohammed Mushtaq and Sobha Annamma Eapen, clarified that the ED can proceed with the probe.
Ebrahim Kunju had secured a stay on the single bench verdict which had ordered an investigation into the flyover scam after he appealed against the same before the division bench.
As per the case, Ebrahim Kunju laundered black money amounting to Rs 10 crore through the account of Chandrika daily, which is the Muslim League's mouthpiece in the state, when he was PWD minister.
Palarivattom flyover scam
The Palarivattom flyover was built during the second Oommen Chandy ministry (2011–16). Ebrahim Kunju was the then PWD minister.
The 750-metre flyover was supposed to last over 100 years. The total construction cost of the flyover was Rs 79 crore (land acquisition included).
However, the flyover had to be shut down in May 2019, just three years after its commissioning, following cracks appearing on the structure.
Separate probes by the Vigilance and the IIT Madras teams found that the contractor had not used sufficient construction materials to build the flyover. On investigation, Vigilance officials hinted at a conspiracy behind the release of mobilisation advance to the contractor by the PWD department.
According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Limited officials released an advance amount of Rs 8.25 crore to the builder in violation of norms. It is alleged that the officials did this as per the recommendation of Ebrahim Kunju.
As per reports submitted by both the IIT-Madras and government-appointed teams, renovating the flyover wouldn't have been sufficient. Hence, the entire structure had to be demolished and rebuilt.
