In Kerala, the Vigilance Court at Thrissur today accepted the Investigation report by the State Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau, which exonerated Chief Minister Ommen Chandy in the palmolein import case. The court rejected the petitions filed by Opposition Leader in the State Assembly V S Achuthanandan and former MLA Alphonse Kannanthanam challenging the Vigilance report.
The court observed there is lack of sufficient evidence to make Ommen Chandy an accused in the case at this stage. The case relates to the import of palmolein during 1991-92 from a Malaysian company at a price higher than the then prevailing international price, causing loss to the state exchequer. Ommen Chandy was the state Finance Minister when the import took place.