TN DVAC raids another ex-AIADMK minister K C Veeramani; seizes Rolls Royce

Former Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani on Thursday became the third AIADMK leader to be raided by sleuths from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on charges of acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

At the end of the day-long raids at 35 places, including two in Bengaluru, the DVAC said the sleuths recovered nine luxury vehicles, including a Rolls Royce car, 623 sovereigns of gold, US dollars’ worth Rs 1.80 lakh, and cash of Rs 34.01 lakh. Documents relevant to the case were also found during the searches.

The raid came a day after the DVAC registered a case against Veeramani, who lost the 2021 assembly elections from Tiruppattur in north Tamil Nadu, on charges of acquiring assets worth Rs 28.78 crore disproportionate to the known sources of income during his tenure as Commercial Taxes and Registration minister from 2016-2021.

“The excess works out to be 654 per cent of his total income,” the DVAC said in its FIR. Veeramani is the third AIADMK minister after M R Vijayabhaskar and S P Velumani to be raided by DVAC after the DMK government assumed office in May 2021.

The action by the DVAC comes a month after Arappor Iyakkam sent a 43-page complaint to the DVAC alleging that Veeramani and his family have acquired assets worth Rs 76.65 crore that is disproportionate to the known sources of income between 2011 and 2021.

Contending that the former minister’s income was around Rs 10 crore in 10 years as declared in his election affidavits, the NGO said he and his family members own assets worth Rs 76.65 crore. However, the FIR filed by DVAC talks only about the disproportionate assets between 2016 and 2021.

The FIR says a case under sections 13 (1) (e), 13 (2) and 13 (1) (b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 has been filed against Veeramani. It says the DVAC went through various documents, including Veeramani’s election affidavit, to conclude that he has acquired assets disproportionate to the known sources of income.

The DMK, while in opposition, had submitted a huge list of corruption charges against half a dozen ministers. The party also promised to constitute a special court to try all such cases.