Hours after the ruling LDF government ordered a vigilance probe into the irregularities in the contract with the UAE-based NGO Red Crescent in the LIFE Mission project, Kerala’s Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala announced his resignation from the post of 'special invitee' of the Life Mission Task Force. The UAE unit of the Red Crescent organisation had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kerala government for the construction of an apartment complex under the Life Mission project, which is meant for building homes for the poor in the state.
The contract became controversial during the ongoing investigations in the gold smuggling case, when it surfaced that Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the case and former employee of UAE Consulate, had accepted commission of Rs 1 crore in the project.
Speaking to the media, Chennithala said, “The government has ordered a preliminary probe by the Vigilance. But we are not satisfied with this because the Vigilance cannot do anything related to this case as the Red Crescent is a UAE-based firm,” demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Ramesh Chennithala also said that he has written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that he is stepping down from the post of ‘special invitee’ as a protest against the Vigilance probe. The CM is the chairman of the Task Force under the Life Mission project.
As part of the probe, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the bank locker of Swapna Suresh and found Rs 1 crore in cash. She alleged that the money was not part of the gold smuggling case but was the commission that she received from the Life Mission project.
The Opposition party leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala, slammed the Kerala government after this matter came to light.
At the press meet on Wednesday, Chennithala also said that though he had asked the government to hand him the copy of the MoU signed between the Red Crescent and Life Mission, it has not been provided to him even after 45 days. Chennithala also pointed out that if the government has called for a vigilance probe, “it shows that there is something fishy about the deal”.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between UV Jose, the Chief Executive Officer of Life Mission, and Red Crescent back in 2019, the NGO would offer AED 1 crore to the government for building housing complexes. However, later reports stated that the final contract agreement did not specify who the consultant was.
According to reports, the Consul General of the UAE Consulate was involved in two agreements with the Kochi-based Unitac Builders and Developers directly. One is a Rs 14.24 crore contract (70 lakh UAE dirham) with Unitac Builders for a housing complex. The second is a contract for a women and children hospital next to this apartment complex for Rs 6.10 crore (30 lakh UAE dirham).
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