Kerala Assembly’s Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan on Thursday asked Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to drop the reported move to appoint senior IAS official Jiji Thomson, fifth accused in the sensational palm oil import corruption case, as the State’s Chief Secretary.
In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Achuthanandan said that appointing Thomson as Chief Secretary would be a challenge to the legal system and the Supreme Court of India. Jiji Thomson, former Sports Authority of India Director General, is expected to take over as Kerala Chief Secretary after present incumbent Bharat Bhushan retires on January 31.
Achuthanandan, who has been pursuing the palm oil case for the past 15 years, pointed out that the Supreme Court, while considering the case of former CVC PJ Thomas, another accused in the same case, had made it clear that bureaucrats accused in corruption cases should not be considered even for promotion.“Achuthanandan has a point here. Even otherwise, Chandy will find it difficult to appoint Jiji Thomson as Chief Secretary after today's (Thursday’s) High Court order that the trial in the palm oil case should go on,” said a senior lawyer of the High Court.