Palmolein import case posted to Jan 10 for orders

The Vigilance Court today posted the two-decade-old palmolein import case to January 10 next year for orders.
Vigilance Court Judge K Haripal, while considering the withdrawal petition filed by Legal Adviser of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on October 17, reserved its order to January 10 next year.
The Congress-led UDF government had taken a decision to withdraw the case, holding that import of palmolein had neither caused any loss to the exchequer nor had anyone made unlawful gain out of it.
Former Chief Minister late K Karunakaran, former Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas and Sports Authority of India Director General Jiji Thomson were among the eight accused in the case.

Former Civil Supplies Minister T H Musthaffa was also an accused in the case.
The case pertains to alleged corruption in import of palmolein through a firm in Singapore when Karunakaran was Chief Minister in 1992. Thomas was Civil Supplies Commissioner and Thomsan MD of the state Civil Supplies Corporation then.

The case had haunted Karunakaran during his last stint as Chief Minister, with the Opposition as well as rivals in the Congress seizing on the issue to run him down.
Thomas had to step down as CVC two years back in the backdrop of the case.
The vigilance inquiry into the deal was ordered by the LDF ministry led by E K Nayanar in 1999.