CBI questions MP, MLA in solar scam case

KOCHI: Ater recording the statement of Congress leader Hibi Eden, MP, the investigators of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Kerala Congress (B) leader KB Ganesh Kumar, MLA, in connection with the solar scam case.

According to sources, former chief minister Oommen Chandy, who is an accused in the case, will be interrogated in coming days.

Based on statements of Chandy and other Congress leaders, CBI sleuths questioned Ganesh on his relation with the woman complainant, who is facing charges of duping investors of millions of Rupees promising to set up solar plants.

In her complaint to the police, she alleged that she was sexually exploited by Congress leaders including Chandy, Hibi, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, Adoor Prakash MP, AP Anil Kumar, MLA and AP Abdullakuty, national vice president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The CBI sleuths have also served notice to Ganesh’s personal assistant Pradeep Kumar and his relative Saranya Manoj directing them to appear for interrogation.

Earlier, Saranya, a former leader of the Kerala Congress had come forward alleging that Ganesh was behind the sex scandal case against leaders of opposition United Democratic Front (UDF).

Ganesh also allegedly added the names of leaders including Chandy in the leter, purportedly writen by the victim which the complainant made public stating that she was sexually assaulted.

On Friday, CBI questioned Hibi. On May 3, the CBI inspected Cliff house, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s official residence, for collecting evidence against Chandy, a senior Congress leader.

Vijayan was in the United States for treatment at that time.

The two teams from the CBI led by CBI inspector Nibul Sankar along with the woman complainant came to the Cliff House to collect evidence to support the complainant’s claims.

The complainant had alleged that she was sexually abused by Chandy at Cliff House. Last month, the CBI conducted an inspection similarly at the MLA hostel in state capital Trivandrum.

The CBI team accompanied by the victim conducted searches at two rooms in the Nila Block of the hostel, where Hibi had stayed when he was a legislator. The complainant had alleged that the young Congress leader had raped her in his room in the MLA hostel in 2012.

Room numbers 33 and 34 were searched by the CBI as part of evidence collection.

The central agency took over the sexual abuse complaints registered by the woman, who was a kingpin in the infamous solar scam, against six Congress leaders last year ater the state government transferred the case to the CBI at the request of the complainant.