lamenting the increase in corruption in public sphere, Vinson M Paul, Director of Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), on Saturday said that politicians, bureaucrats and criminals were joining hands to perpetrate corruption. He said even the VACB, a Government agency meant to fight corruption, was coming under pressure in this respect.
The statement of the Vigilance chief, known widely as a clean official, is seen as extremely significant especially as the agency is currently probing corruption charges against State Finance Minister KM Mani and Excise Minister K Babu — accused of taking Rs1 crore and Rs10 crore respectively as bribe from bar owners.
“This is a time when getting trapped in corruption cases is not seen as a matter of shame,” he said while speaking at an anti-corruption programme in Thiruvananthapuram. “Becoming an accused in a rape case is seen as a shame. Same is the case with a murder case. But nobody seems to view making money illegally as a matter of shame,” he said.
“Corrupt politicians, corrupt bureaucrats and criminals seem tend to form a company of their own. People should decide not to send persons against whom there are strong corruption charges (to legislative bodies),” he said. Admitting that there were rots in his own bureau, Vinson Paul said, “There is always a sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the departments which are supposed to fight corruption,” he said.