Kerala: Health Minister Veena George's personal staff accused of bribery

An allegation of bribery has surfaced involving the personal staff of Health Minister Veena George. The complaint alleges that Akhil Mathew, her personal staff, accepted a bribe of Rs 1 lakh in exchange for facilitating a doctor's appointment.

Thiruvananthapuram: An allegation of bribery has surfaced involving the personal staff of Health Minister Veena George. The complaint alleges that Akhil Mathew, her personal staff, accepted a bribe of Rs 1 lakh in exchange for facilitating a doctor's appointment. According to the complaint, a middleman was also involved in the transaction. The complaint was filed by Haridasan, a resident of Malappuram. In response, the minister's office has forwarded the complaint to the Director-General of Police (DGP) for further investigation.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George stated that a complaint was received on September 13. After examining the facts, it was determined that Akhil Mathew was not involved, and the allegation was baseless. The complaint was forwarded to the police, and the Chief Minister's office was informed on September 20.

The police were directed to investigate if there was an attempt to falsely implicate the staff member. The personnel staff member has also lodged a complaint with the police.

The minister emphasised the need for a thorough investigation into any cheating or conspiracy, stressing the government's commitment to preventing corruption. Regarding allegations of cheating related to the CITU office, the minister mentioned that no media had sought her response while she was in Kozhikode for Nipah prevention work. She assured me that prompt action would be taken soon in this matter.