Former Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani had resigned his post in November 2015 after the bribery allegations and a huge political drama.
Thiruvananthapuram:
Two months after KM Mani resigned as Kerala's finance minister following allegations of bribery, the Vigilance department, which is probing the case, has given him a clean chit, sources said.
According to sources, the report submitted before the court by the agency said that after further investigations, it has found no evidence against Mr Mani. The court had ordered for further investigations citing irregularities in the earlier vigilance report.
"No evidence has been found that KM Mani took bribe thrice, as alleged by bar owners," said an official from the vigilance department.
"I had always maintained that I have not taken any bribe, I have been proved right," Mr Mani told NDTV.
According to the Vigilance department official, the details of witnesses and the time frames provided by the bar association president have been proved completely wrong. Allegations that a submission made for renewal of a bar licence was delayed for bribe, is also false, the official said.
"On investigation, we found it was done in accordance to business rules," he further added.
Mr Mani had resigned his post in November 2015 after the bribery allegations and a huge political drama.
A leading hotelier from Kerala, Biju Ramesh, had claimed that he and several bar owners had bribed Mr Mani for the renewal of their bar licences.
Mr Mani and the Congress-led UDF government had maintained these allegations were baseless. The bar owners, they had said, were hitting back for the implementation of the new liquor policy of the state, under which no bars except the ones 5-Star hotels can serve hard liquor.
Even after Mr Mani resigned, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had maintained that he was innocent.
According to sources, the report submitted before the court by the agency said that after further investigations, it has found no evidence against Mr Mani. The court had ordered for further investigations citing irregularities in the earlier vigilance report.
"No evidence has been found that KM Mani took bribe thrice, as alleged by bar owners," said an official from the vigilance department.
"I had always maintained that I have not taken any bribe, I have been proved right," Mr Mani told NDTV.
According to the Vigilance department official, the details of witnesses and the time frames provided by the bar association president have been proved completely wrong. Allegations that a submission made for renewal of a bar licence was delayed for bribe, is also false, the official said.
"On investigation, we found it was done in accordance to business rules," he further added.
Mr Mani had resigned his post in November 2015 after the bribery allegations and a huge political drama.
A leading hotelier from Kerala, Biju Ramesh, had claimed that he and several bar owners had bribed Mr Mani for the renewal of their bar licences.
Mr Mani and the Congress-led UDF government had maintained these allegations were baseless. The bar owners, they had said, were hitting back for the implementation of the new liquor policy of the state, under which no bars except the ones 5-Star hotels can serve hard liquor.
Even after Mr Mani resigned, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had maintained that he was innocent.
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