Vigilance to hold quick verification probe against Babu, visit

The Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau today decided to hold a quick verification probe against Excise minister K Babu, facing bribery charges in the bar scam, even as probe officials visited the compound of the residence of Finance Minister K M Mani, who is also under a cloud.
In a fresh development this evening, Vigilance Director Vincent M Paul ordered the quick verification probe against Babu on a complaint by Opposition CPI-M leader V S Achuthanandan to him, seeking a probe into the allegation by Bar hotelier Biju Ramesh that Rs 10 crore bribe had allegedly been paid to the minister for favours.

The decision came a day after vigilance decided not to have a separate probe against Babu.
Babu, who met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy soon after the development, said the meeting was not in relation to the vigilance probe.
"Let vigilance examine the charges and let the probe be over," he said and questioned Ramesh's credibility.
The minister said he had nothing more to add to what he had stated at the press meets here yesterday and the day before in which he had denied the allegation.

In a related development, Vigilance officials collected evidence from the compound of the official residence of Mani on Monday, sources said.

They examined the vehicle register at the police outpost, sources said. However, they did not enter Mani's residence.
Mani, who is Kerala Congress (M) supremo, the third largest partner in the Congress-led ruling UDF, was not present at the time of examination, the sources said.
The collection of evidence was in the background of the statement given to the Vigilance by the driver of Ramesh, who is Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association Working President, that he had gone in his employer's car to the minister's residence.
Reacting to the development, Mani's office today denied that the car had come to his residence.

"Mani is staying in the Cliff House compound, where six other ministers also reside. There is only one police outpost with a vehicle register", the FM's office pointed out.
Chandy said he was not aware of the development and added that government would not interfere in the Vigilance probe. "I have no anxiety over the Vigilance probe into the matter."
Ever since the scam broke out in November last, Chandy had maintained that there was no truth in the allegations and it was part of a 'political conspiracy.'
Vigilance had filed an FIR against Mani in the court after holding a quick verification on a complaint by Achuthanandan, based on the charges of Ramesh. The Left front has been on a warpath, demanding Mani's resignation over the issue.