Chandy made witness in solar scam judicial probe

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is set to be examined as a witness by a judicial commission investigating the solar panel scam that triggered a major political controversy in the state last year.

Apart from Chandy, the list of 48 witnesses – prepared by the Justice G Sivarajan Commission – has names of ministers and some of the chief minister’s former office staff, reports here said on Wednesday.

The Solar Scam Inquiry Commission will examine ministers including former home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as part of the probe. MPs and MLAs who made statements about the scam are among the list of witnesses.

The two prime accused in the case – Biju Radhakrishnan and his former partner Saritha S Nair – had collected crores of rupees from potential investors after promising stakes in non-existent solar and wind energy projects. The duo had promised returns for the investors by citing their connections in the Congress-led United Democratic Front government.

The scandal snowballed into a political controversy in the backdrop of allegations that members of the chief minister’s office staff had links with the accused in the case.

 The ouster of these personal staff members was not enough to silence the CPM-led opposition front that persisted with its demands for Chandy’s resignation and a judicial probe, leading to a series of mass protests. The chief minister and ministers are likely to be examined by the commission during the final stages of the multi-phased investigation.