Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Bar Hotel Owners’ Association working president Biju Ramesh is learnt to have told Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau officials that Rs. 1 crore was handed over to Finance Minister K.M Mani.
According to reports, Biju said the probe team that he called on Finance Minister K.M. Mani and some other ministers as advised by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
A team led by Vigilance special investigation unit-I SP R. Sukesan took Biju’s statement.
In a major embarrassment to the Congress-led UDF government, state Finance Minister K M Mani was December 10 booked by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in the bar bribe scam.
A seasoned player in Kerala politics, Mani has been minister in most of the UDF Governments since 1980s. His party KC(M) is the third largest component in the UDF with a sound support base in the Central Travancore region, especially among the Christian community.