Achuthanandan ordered Lok Ayukta probe to protect son: Chandy

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy today said his predecessor VS Achuthanandan ordered a probe by the Lok Ayukta into the 11 allegations against his son just to protect him.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Friday said his predecessor VS Achuthanandan ordered a probe by the Lok Ayukta into the 11 allegations against his son just to protect him.

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"This has come true today (Friday) after the Lok Ayukta dismissed the petition filed by Achuthanandan's son requesting to go ahead with the probe against him by Lok Ayukta and not by the vigilance department as directed by our government," said Chandy, in a press release in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Chandy government last month ordered a vigilance probe against Achuthanandan's only son VA Arunkumar on 11 specific cases which Chandy, the then leader of opposition, had raised.

This is the second setback for Achuthanandan and his son after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by Arunkumar seeking an interim order to stop the vigilance probe against him.

Arunkumar then moved the Lok Ayukta, contending that once a Lok Ayukta probe is announced, then a vigilance probe cannot be ordered.

Chandy's 11 allegations include Arunkumar taking a Rs.7 lakh bribe from the sandalwood mafia in 2004, his role in scuttling a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the lottery scam besides corrupt deals Arunkumar was allegedly involved in when he was the managing director of a state-run organisation during the EK Nayanar government(1996-2001).

Among the other issues that will be probed are his numerous foreign trips and also how he managed to get membership in posh clubs.