Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Omprakash Mathur has granted sanction to arraign and prosecute former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman in the football sponsorship fraud case. The Governor’s crucial decision comes on a file previously forwarded to Raj Bhavan by the state government and the Chief Minister seeking prosecution sanction.

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The government had originally approached Raj Bhavan seeking permission to prosecute V Abdurahiman during the tenure of former Governor Rajendra Arlekar. However, the former Governor maintained that he was studying the matter and left the office without taking a decision on the file. Subsequently, upon assuming office as the new Governor, Omprakash Mathur examined the issue and sought legal advice.

With the Governor's prosecution sanction now secured, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) can officially arraign former Minister V Abdurahiman as an accused in the case and proceed with further legal steps, including detailed questioning and arrest. In the report submitted following a thorough investigation, the SIT had sought permission to arraign five individuals, including V Abdurahiman, Reporter Broadcasting Company owner Anto Augustine, U Sharafali and C Sathyapalan.

Although the Director General of Prosecution (DGP) had advised that clearance from the Home Department alone would suffice in the case, prosecution sanction was sought from Raj Bhavan based on further legal advice.

According to investigation reports and complaints cited in the case, the football sponsorship fraud centres on allegations of financial irregularities, procedural violations and fund misappropriation linked to the commercial sponsorship agreements for bringing the Argentina national football team, led by Lionel Messi, to Kerala for an international friendly match. Investigators alleged that sponsorship rights and tenders were awarded to Reporter Broadcasting Company without following standard government norms or proper tender procedures, bypassing concerned departments and involving alleged GST evasion and misuse of official records.