Comptroller and Auditor is independent statutory body, any corruption involved will be pointed out: V Muraleedharan

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 19 (ANI): The Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Thursday said that Comptroller and Auditor (CAG ) is an independent statutory body, which is not controlled by the Government of India and if there is any corruption involved, it will be pointed out.

He was responding to the allegation by Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac that four pages of the CAG report were added from Delhi.

" The CAG doesn't have any political inclinations. The CAG looks through the glass of transparency and impartiality. If there is any corruptions or discrepancies involved or any issues which are against the norms, the CAG will obviously point out," he said

On Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), on which a political row is going on in Kerala after Finance Minister Thomas Isaac shared contents from CAG report before being tabled in Kerala Legislative Assembly, Union Minister of State said.

"KIIFB is an agency of the government of Kerala. For the loans that KIIFB has taken, the government has to pay back. So naturally, it is the responsibility of the government of Kerala, to take the permission of India for any loans above the limit that is prescribed in the budget or in the financial rules," he said.

Regarding the audio clip of gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh surfacing, Muraleedharan said that Kerala Government and Home Department should answer how the audio of the gold smuggling accused who is currently in jail came out.

" It is not surprising at all as the accused of the gold smuggling case are in jails of Kerala. Jails are controlled by the Jail department, who comes under the Chief Minister of the state. So naturally, it is the responsibility of the state government to find out how such an audio clip was given by an accused in jail," he added. (ANI)