Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Thursday named Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of the SNDP Yogam, the organisation of Hindu lower caste Ezhavas, as first accused in the FIR filed in the case pertaining to the allegation of irregularities in the disbursement of loans through a microfinance scheme. Natesan and the Yogam are the main forces behind the party, Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a BJP ally in the State.
The others named as accused in the FIR registered in the Special Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram were Yogam’s president MN Soman, its microfinance scheme’s State coordinator KK Mahesan, N Najeeb, former managing director of the State backward classes Development Corporation, and its present MD Dileep.
All the five accused were charged with conspiracy and financial embezzlement. The FIR is based on a petition filed in the court by former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan seeking investigation into the allegations leveled by the Sree Narayana Dharma Vedi, an outfit opposing Natesan, against him over the Yogam’s microfinance scheme.
The allegation is that there had been widespread irregularities relating to a Rs 15-crore loan availed by the Yogam’s microfinance scheme from the Backward Classes Development Corporation for disbursing as loans to the self-help groups under the Yogam. It was alleged that the money was disbursed at high interest rates in violation of the corporation’s norms.
As per the allegation, the money to be disbursed as loan at an interest rate of five per cent to the self-help groups had been given at interest rates between 12 per cent and 18 per cent. The Vigilance court had earlier observed that it had been proved that money was embezzled by forging documents in the names of fictitious beneficiaries.
When the case was considered the other day, Special Vigilance Judge A Badaruddin had given the Vigilance two weeks’ time to submit the report on the preliminary probe. However, Achuthanandan’s lawyer sought a detailed probe into the alleged irregularities on the basis of a proper FIR as sufficient evidences had already been collected.
The court had earlier told the Vigilance that it should keep in mind that seven months had been completed since the start of the inquiries and that it would have to make its position clear when the case came up again on July 27. The Vigilance registered the FIR against Vellappally and others in this context as it had been convinced that there was substance in the allegations.
Responding to the Vigilance’s move, Vellappally said he was not afraid of any investigation as he was certain that he had done nothing wrong. He said that registration of an FIR did not mean that a person had committed a crime. “Truth will come out,” the Yogam chief said, adding that he was not intending to give up his position because of the allegation.
The charge of irregularities in the disbursement of microfinance funds had come up first when Vellappally was leading a Kerala March of the Yogam which was a prelude to the declaration of a political party of the majority communities in Kerala. Vellappally announced the formation of the BDJS, which was an ally of the BJP in the May Assembly poll, on December 5 last.