"The report said that the former minister accepted bribe for issuing bar licences without following the criteria of 'first come, first grant'. Kochi: The quick verification report by the state's vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) submitted in the vigilance court, Muvattupuzha, on Thursday stated that "corruption to the tune of more than Rs 100 crore was committed by former excise minister K Babu in connection with issuing bar licences in the period 2011-2016. Files maintained at the office of the excise commissioner and government secretariat regarding the applications of bar licenses were verified as part of the investigation. According to the report, the list of 34 shops to be closed down on October 2, 2014 was prepared by a committee of KSBC officers but the minister made changes to it. The FIR states that the former minister committed criminal misconduct by showing differential treatment in granting sanction of fresh bar licenses in the period 2011-2016.The report further states that Babu ordered shutting down of Kerala state beverages corporation (KSBC) outlets superseding the list of outlets to be closed prepared by KSBC and Consumerfed as per prescribed criteria.

Source: Times of India July 23, 2016 05:07 UTC