'Acted arbitrarily ignoring all warnings'; More staff members come against former minister Abdurahiman

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More staff members turned against former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman in the multi-crore fraud case involving the Argentina team's promised visit to Kerala. G.R. Ramesh, the former private secretary, testified to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that Abdurahiman failed to make corrections despite being alerted to procedural violations.

During questioning, Ramesh also alleged that the minister made departmental decisions arbitrarily.

As per the statement, the Minister ignored the warnings and violated the norms by appointing a sponsor without a tender. Abdurahiman paid no heed to the caution regarding the services of an aided college teacher. The statement also reveals that the individual was allowed to handle emails.

Sathyapal, another private secretary, also gave a statement to the SIT against Abdurahman. He said that the decision to appoint 'Reporter' channel as the sponsor was unilateral. The former Minister acted arbitrarily, ignoring warnings from officials against appointing a sponsor without a tender process. Sathyapal further stated that the Minister disregarded Anto's criminal background.

Managing Editor Anto Augustine is the first accused, and Reporter Broadcasting Company is the second accused in the fraud case. The charges include cheating, fraud, and conspiracy. The case was registered on a complaint filed by P. Vikraman, a member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), following a preliminary inquiry. Anto and others had been conspiring since December 2024. The FIR alleges that they defrauded the government and others and made illicit gains by incorporating fraudulent and illegal clauses into the agreement signed with the Argentine Football Association.