Kerala politician claims clean chit by UAE court in cheque default case

Thushar Vellapally, President of a coalition partner of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, who was arrested last month in the UAE in connection with a Rs 19 crore cheque default case, has been cleared of all charges in the case by a UAE court, the leader himself said here on Sunday.

Vellapally, who unsuccessfully contested as the NDA candidate against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 general elections from Wayanad, was arrested on August 20 at a hotel in Ajman in connection with Rs 19 crore cheque default case.

He was released on bail by Ajman Public Prosecution, but was not allowed to travel to India without clearing a civil case.

On Sunday in a press conference, Vellapally, chief of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena which is a partner of the BJP-led NDA in the state, said that he has been cleared of all charges by a court in Ajman. He called it the victory of justice.

He is expected to remain in the UAE for a couple of days to meet the complainant in the case, N Abdullah, a subcontractor from Thrissur, Kerala, who worked for Vellapally-owned Boeing Construction Company LLC that is now defunct.

Vellapally had issued a cheque of Dh 10 million (around Rs 19 crore) ten years ago to a construction firm that had bounced.

Vellapally had earlier asserted that charges levelled against him were false.

Vellapally is also the Vice President of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a prominent organisation of the backward Ezhava community in Kerala.