THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Vigilance case has been registered against additional chief secretary Tom Jose in connection with various corruption allegations pertaining to the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited, including a loss of Rs 1.21 crore in magnesium purchase, during the 2011-15 period. Apart from Jose, who was a former managing director of the public sector undertaking, nine others were also arraigned in the case. They include serving and retired officials of KMML and a local trade union leader. Misappropriation in service tax and cheating by offering jobs were the other allegations.
Vigilance special investigation unit - I DySP Udayakumar filed the first information report. According to Vigilance sources, a preliminary probe by the VACB found that KMML suffered a loss of '1.21 crore due to the irregularities in the purchase of magnesium. While KMML used to purchase magnesium locally at Rs 1.87 crore per metric tonne, during the term of Tom Jose a global tender was invited. As a result magnesium was purchased at Rs 2.62 crore per metric tonne causing a loss of Rs 1.21 crore.
Irregularities were also found in the payment of Rs 51 lakh to a private firm as service tax for certain maintenance works, said sources. Meanwhile, Jose said that he was holding the charge of KMML managing director only for six months. The decision to go for global tender was taken in view of the reports that better quality magnesium was available in the international market and the price increase could be due to market fluctuations.
It may be recalled that the Vigilance director had ordered a probe against Jose the other day in connection with the purchase of about 50 acres of land in Maharashtra. A section of senior IAS officers had appraised the chief minister the other day of the highhandedness of the Vigilance director in ordering baseless probes against IAS officials.
