CBI probe must be comprehensive, says Isaac
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said here on Tuesday that the CBI investigation into the lottery scam, if any, should be comprehensive and must cover actions of both the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments, particularly the reasons why the last UDF regime failed to collect taxes promptly and why the State's powers to initiate legal action against the lottery mafia were abdicated.
Dr. Thomas told a news conference that he also had no problem in the CBI investigation covering the decisions taken by him.
The demand for a CBI investigation was first raised in 2005, but the then Oommen Chandy government had not taken any action in the matter.
Further, though there was no legal obstacle to collection of taxes from the lottery operators, the Chandy government had not done so causing huge loss to the State.
His government also withdrew all cases charged against lottery mafia and also gave an undertaking to the Kerala High Court to the effect that no further cases would be charged against them.
The forces that blocked the CBI investigation sought by former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and himself should also figure in the probe, Dr. Isaac said.
Reference from The Hindu.
