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Lanka’s first Consul in Kerala alleged to be a bad egg
The Government yesterday said it was looking into allegations against the country’s first Honorary Consul in Kerala that the man was having a criminal record but added that there were no immediate plans to reconsider the appointment, a senior External Affairs official said.
Mr. Joeman Joseph with business interests in Sri Lanka took up the appointment as Colombo’s first Honorary Consul on Wednesday but there were several empty chairs at the opening ceremony of the Consulate as regional Indian politicians who were billed to attend, decided to stay away owing to the allegations.
According to the allegations which were given wide publicity in sections of the Indian media Mr. Joseph is alleged to have been involved in land fraud and is currently out on bail for allegedly assaulting a 63-year-old man.
“The appointment of Mr. Joseph was done with the concurrence of the authorities in New Delhi and therefore a reconsideration of the appointment could not be decided on immediately.
However the Protocol and Political Desks at the External Affairs Ministry that approved the appointment are looking into the allegations since they are of a serious nature,” the official said.
The setting up of the Sri Lankan Consulate was aimed at increasing the cooperation between Kerala and Sri Lanka in the fields of trade, agriculture, industry and higher education, the official added.
The Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor opened the Sri Lankan Consulate Wednesday evening.
However Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who was billed to inaugurate the opening and Home minister Ramesh Chennithala dropped out of the function to avoid further controversy.
Home minister Chennithala was quoted by the Indian media as saying that he will not attend the inauguration after learning that Mr. Joseph is out on bail in a criminal case for beating a 63-year old man.
“Proposal to appoint me as Honorary Consul was forwarded by Sri Lankan authorities to Indian government. Different agencies like the Central Intelligence Bureau (CIB) and the Research Analyst Wing (RAW) made a detailed inquiry about me and only after their clearance, that I was selected for this position,” Joseph was quoted in the Indian media as saying.
The Chief Minister has said that he would look into the allegation against the Honorary Consul.