Chennai, Aug 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Non-government organisation (NGO) Arappor Iyakkam has filed a corruption complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against K.C. Veeramani, a Minister in the erstwhile AIADMK government, said its Convener Jayaram Venkatesan on Tuesday.
The NGO said it is working towards transparency and accountability in governance.
Speaking to reporters here Venkatesan alleged Veeramani, a Minister in the former AIADMK government, has amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of about Rs 76.65 crore between 2011-21. He said it is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Listing out various immovable properties acquired by Veeramani during the period under review, Venkatesan said the NGO had arrived at the value of the assets based on their registered value and not on the guideline value.
He said Veeramani had amassed the assets in his name and in the names of his mother, two wives, son, daughter and father-in-law and in the process misused his position to enrich himself and his family at the cost of the government's tax revenue.
Venkatesan said the Arappor Iyakkam has collected the documentary proof in support of its complaints and the DVAC should register a first information report (FIR) against Veeramani and others and begin its probe.
The NGO had earlier complained against another AIADMK Minister S.P. Velumani. Recently, the DVAC had raided the residences of Velumani, his associates and others.
"We are not on a mission to target the former Ministers of AIADMK," Venkatesan said.
He said Arappor Iyakkam will be filing corruption complaints against two/three more former ministers in the AIADMK government, though it declined to name them.
Venkatesan said, in his 2011 election affidavit, Veeramani had declared a total movable and immovable assets (his and his dependents) about Rs 9.07 crore and a liability of about Rs 1.59 crore. The net asset declared was about Rs 7.48 crore.
According to Venkatesan, the value of movable and immovable assets of Veeramani and his dependents has grown several times without commensurate growth in his declared income.
He said Veeramani had declared movable assets of Rs 56.17 lakh in 2011 election affidavit while it has grown to about Rs 43 crore as per the 2021 election affidavit.
In the case of immovable assets of Veeramani and his family members, the value grew from about Rs 2.96 crore as per 2011 election affidavit to about Rs 83.65 crore in 2021.
According to Venkatesan, the former minister had declared some assets in his 2021 election affidavit and had not declared some others.
Venkatesan said the assets disproportionate to the known sources of income of Veeramani was Rs 76.65 crore factoring the net asset increase between 2011-21 about Rs 83.65 crore and net income of about Rs 7 crore.
Source: IANS
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