Kerala Bar Hotels Association (KBHA) working president Biju Ramesh has passed on to the electronic media what he claimed is ‘authentic audio evidence’ that can implicate four more United Democratic Front (UDF) Ministers in the bar licence renewal bribery case.
The politically explosive ‘recording,’ broadcast more or less frantically on television news bulletins since 6 p.m., has a male voice stating that “the UDF Ministers had begged at our feet” not to reveal that they had accepted money for reopening closed bars. Their plea came after Finance Minister K.M. Mani’s name was ‘divulged’ to the public, the voice said.
Mr. Ramesh claimed that the voice was that of Raj Kumar Unni, president, KBHA. The soundtrack was that of a crucial steering committee meeting of the association on December 31, he said.
The voice goes on to express the hope that a favourable court order might enable the reopening of closed bars. It warned that the names of the four Ministers who accepted bribe would be revealed if the government tried to complicate matters for the KBHA.
Last week, Mr. Ramesh had given the media another soundtrack containing allegations against Mr. Mani.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) was verifying the authenticity and evidentiary value of the so called ‘revelations,’ which had caused considerable damaging publicity to the beleaguered government.
The ‘tapes’ would be forensically analysed to detect tampering or editing, if any, and to fix the identity of the voices. On Wednesday, the VACB recorded the statement of John Kalat, a KBHA office-bearer. He chose not to speak to the media and refused to face the cameras outside the Vigilance office.
