Kerala: Former Kozhikode collector N Prasanth faces fresh allegations of misappropriating funds to buy car
By Deepu Mohan | First Published Nov 10, 2024, 4:39 PM ISTIAS officer N Prasanth faces fresh allegations of misappropriating funds for personal use while serving as Kozhikode Collector. Accuser M. Gopakumar claims Prasanth diverted river conservation funds to buy a car and threatened an Additional Secretary who reported the misconduct.
Thiruvananthapuram: Fresh allegations have emerged against IAS officer N Prasanth, accusing him of misappropriating funds for personal use while serving as the Kozhikode Collector. The allegations, made by M. Gopakumar, former Additional Private Secretary to ex-Finance Minister Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaac, suggest that Prasanth diverted funds meant for river conservation or a similar project to purchase a car.
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In a Facebook post, Gopakumar accused Prasanth of using public funds for personal gain, a discovery reportedly made by the Finance Department's Non-Technical Inspection Wing. The department conducted an investigation and filed a report on the matter, which was prepared under the leadership of an Additional Secretary.
Gopakumar further claimed that Prasanth threatened the Additional Secretary who authored the report, with the post referring to Prasanth as 'collector bro'. He alleged that the IAS officer pressured the official to suppress the findings related to the misappropriation of funds during his tenure in Kozhikode.
Translated text of his Facebook post:
The IAS 'good samaritan' character, Prasanth 'bro', signed a memorandum of understanding worth Rs 5000 crore rupees for the construction of deep-sea fishing vessels without consulting the government, just a day or so before the election. Not stopping there, he leaked this memorandum to his former boss, Chennithala. The drama unfolded scene by scene. Among the boldest ministers in the first Pinarayi government is Smt. J. Mercykutty Amma. The BJP's 15% vote share dropped to 3%. Thus, under Prasanth's orchestration, the Congress-BJP joint candidate, Vishnunath, won. However, this tactic generally didn't work in coastal constituencies.
When this 'good samaritan' was the 'collector bro' in Kozhikode, he bought a car using funds meant for river conservation or something similar. The Finance Department's Non-Technical Inspection Wing discovered this and wrote a report. The report was prepared under the leadership of an Additional Secretary. This 'good samaritan' threatened that officer, which I know firsthand. He called me several times, threatening him. I questioned him quite sternly, asking if the Additional Secretary wasn't just doing his job. The threat was that he would deal with the Additional Secretary.
I laughed and said that he wouldn't do anything while we were around, due to the work we did with good faith. I remember the Finance Secretary, a senior IAS officer, speaking to me later. He told me to ignore the 'bro's' threats. This civil servant, Prasanth, is a textbook example for those people who worship bureaucratic figures.
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