The Anti-Corruption Bureau today filed formal charges against K Karunakaran, ex-chief minister of Kerala and now Congress(I) MP, in the notorious palmolien corruption case. The case relates to purchase of 15,000 tonnes of palmolien from a firm in Singapore in 1991, in violation of the rules and procedures and under undue haste, causing a loss of Rs six crore to the state government and an undue profit of about Rs three crore to the firm. The then chief secretary, additional chief secretary, and managing director of the Civil Supplies Corporation, all of whom were senior IAS officers, and the officers of the company are the co-accused in this case. The request for necessary time to obtain the permission from the governor, Lok Sabha speaker and central government for initiating prosecution was allowed by the court and the case has been posted to January 21.

It may be noted that R Balankrishna Pillai, a minister in Karunakaran's cabinet for years, has since been convicted in two corruption cases which are also now in appeal before the Supreme Court.