Kochi : The 2006 suicide of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been—a top official of the PATI-BEL consortium tasked with executing the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP)—has resurfaced, placing the then-LDF government under intense scrutiny. Allegations have re-emerged that the Left administration deliberately scuttled the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe to protect influential bureaucrats named in the suicide note.
Corruption and Harassment: The Circumstances Surrounding the Suicide
The PATI-BEL consortium—a joint venture between Malaysian firm PATI and Kochi-based Bhageeratha Engineering—was awarded the contract to upgrade the 127-km Angamaly–Thiruvananthapuram MC Road corridor under World Bank funding. However, severe bureaucratic delays in land acquisition stalled the project, escalating the initial estimated cost of ₹216 crore to over ₹330 crore.
As project costs mounted, Public Works Department (PWD) officials withheld pending construction bills amounting to approximately ₹17 crore. Unable to clear dues worth ₹12.5 crore to local sub-contractors and vendors, Lee See Been faced immense financial distress and relentless harassment.
In November 2006, Lee ended his life at Subang Ria Park in Kuala Lumpur. His suicide note explicitly cited systemic corruption, extortion demands, and harassment by senior PWD and KSTP officials.
Charges Against the LDF Administration
Critical details and findings highlight how the LDF administration handled the fallout:
Sidelining the Inquiry: Following intense public outcry, the LDF government announced a preliminary Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe. However, official records indicate the investigation was quietly buried without logical conclusion or legal accountability.
Safe Exit for Key Accused: The suicide note prominently named the then-PWD Secretary and KSTP Project Director, Gyanesh Kumar. Rather than initiating rigorous disciplinary action or criminal proceedings, the state government merely transferred him out of the PWD before facilitating his smooth transition to Central deputation.
Suppression of Institutional Files: Critics allege that the government leveraged jurisdictional technicalities—citing the occurrence of the suicide in Malaysia—to avoid pursuing cross-border evidence, resulting in missing or dormant VACB files.
”The government machinery back then was simply not keen on pursuing the case despite the massive public outcry, allowing key officials to walk away without accountability.”
Political Fallout
Decades later, senior CPM leaders have attempted to revisit the case to target former bureaucrats. However, the political consensus points back to the failure of the 2006–2011 LDF cabinet. By failing to prosecute corruption that resulted in the loss of a foreign engineer’s life and a massive burden on the state exchequer, the LDF government stands accused of prioritizing administrative cover-ups over justice.
