A single clerical error led to one of the most expensive blunders in Kerala University’s recent history, leaving its Centre for Latin American Studies short of nearly ₹16.5 lakh.
The problem arose in 2023 when payment was being sent to a Brazil-based journalist for delivering four virtual lectures, The Times of India reported. Instead of transferring the approved honorarium of ₹20,000, a bank employee mistakenly processed the amount as $20,000, confusing the rupee symbol with the dollar sign. The transaction drained far more from the university’s account than intended.
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University officials said the transfer was made through the State Bank of India’s Tejaswini branch in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. The money was credited to the account of Kathleen Martinic, the wife of guest speaker Milan Sime Martinic, the report said.
The discrepancy came to light in 2024, after which the Centre alerted university authorities and reached out to the lecturer. According to Gireesh Kumar, head of the Centre, Martinic had assured the university that the excess amount would be returned. Despite those assurances, the refund never materialised, even though the lecturer later claimed the money had been sent back.
{{/usCountry}}The discrepancy came to light in 2024, after which the Centre alerted university authorities and reached out to the lecturer. According to Gireesh Kumar, head of the Centre, Martinic had assured the university that the excess amount would be returned. Despite those assurances, the refund never materialised, even though the lecturer later claimed the money had been sent back.
{{/usCountry}}Complicating matters further, Martinic passed away a few months after the transfer, significantly reducing the likelihood of recovering the funds that were mistakenly paid on June 15, 2023, the report stated.
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The money originally came from a ₹20 lakh grant sanctioned by the state government for a student exchange programme. After receiving the funds, Kathleen Martinic transferred them to the account of a consulting firm, officials said.
The Centre has since approached the banking ombudsman, but the matter remains unresolved. While SBI has acknowledged the error, it has asked the university to assist in persuading the recipient to return the excess amount, an effort that so far has yielded no results.
HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of this information.