A CBI court docket in Kochi Saturday acquitted former Lakshadweep MP and NCP nationwide normal secretary Mohammed Faisal and two others in a case pertaining to inflicting loss to Bharat Petroleum Company Restricted (BPCL) by illegally importing gas to the islands.
The previous MP is the ninth accused within the case, whereas others are P P Hussain Thangal and Beypore port head clerk Abdul Manaf. Faisal and Thangal are companions of Shebna Enterprises, which had a license to import important commodities to the Lakshadweep.
The case was registered in 2009, and the CBI had charged 9 accused in 2011, beneath numerous sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Based on CBI, misusing the commerce licence, the accused availed diesel from BPCL at subsidy charge and bought the gas within the islands, inflicting a lack of Rs 1.4 crore for the general public sector oil entity. Contemplating the scarcity of important commodities within the islands, the Kerala authorities had given a gross sales tax exemption of 20 per cent for provide to the Lakshadweep. Accordingly, the state had levied solely 4 p.c tax for gadgets together with diesel, to the islands.
Based on the CBI, diesel meant to Lakshadweep was illegally bought in Kerala itself, and the BPCL had failed to make sure that the availability reached the islands. Earlier, the court docket had acquitted six others, together with BPCL officers. Advocate M J Santhosh appeared for the accused.