Inquiry Reveals Alleged Financial and Procedural Irregularities
An official inquiry report from the Kerala Sports Department has identified what it describes as a significant financial and procedural scam. This alleged scam is linked to the unsuccessful effort to bring football icon Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to the state for a match. The report, submitted to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan by Sports Minister O.J. Janeesh, was vetted by Sports Department Special Secretary N. Prasanth.
The investigation indicates serious violations of government regulations and a potential misuse of state resources. The report recommends a comprehensive criminal investigation into the matter, characterising the episode as a multi-crore fraud with international implications. It suggests the state government transfer the case to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau and calls for central agencies to examine possible money laundering and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations.
Allegations Against Former Officials and Private Partner
The inquiry report specifically implicates former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Chief Secretary A Jayatilak, alleging they bypassed established rules and procedures to expedite an event that lacked a formal commitment from the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Records reportedly show that the former Chief Minister favoured a private company, Reporter Broadcasting Corporation (RBC).
The report states that RBC was selected as the event’s commercial partner without any public tender or competitive bidding. Furthermore, the private partner reportedly claimed to have transferred Rs. 126 crore to the AFA through a US-based intermediary, but investigators found no banking records or documentary evidence to confirm this transaction. No legally binding tripartite agreement was executed between the state government, the AFA, and the sponsor. Instead, a generic commercial brochure from the AFA was allegedly misrepresented as an official commitment letter to secure necessary clearances from the Union Sports Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The report also criticises former Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman for leading a delegation to Spain, purportedly to finalise match arrangements, a trip that allegedly cost the state exchequer Rs. 14 crore.
Stadium Handover and Procedural Lapses
A notable example highlighted in the report is the swift handover of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor to RBC. The decision to waive the security deposit, rent, taxes, and other charges, amounting to over ₹5 crore, reportedly had the Chief Minister’s official sanction. The stadium was made available for construction work without final confirmation of the match, official FIFA/AIFF (All India Football Federation) match registration, prior approval from the Law and Finance Departments, and without insurance or bank guarantee provisions for damage recovery, as mandated by law.
The inquiry states there is clear evidence of a deliberate attempt to circumvent rules. It notes that high-level review meetings chaired by the Chief Minister or Chief Secretary cannot legally validate fundamental defects and procedural lapses resulting from non-compliance with constitutional procedures. The report was particularly critical of the then Chief Secretary’s role in allowing the state government to play a secondary role to a private company. It describes the extensive deployment of government machinery and IAS officers for a private commercial venture without ensuring required safeguards as a grave institutional failure of supervision at the highest level of the Secretariat, suggesting either pre-planned connivance or ignorance of basic secretariat rules. The report recommends that this leadership-level failure be a principal charge in the proposed departmental inquiry.
Source: thestatesman.com
