UNA fin fraud: Lookout notice against Jasmin Sha, 3 others

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Crime branch issued lookout notices against four persons, including United Nurses Association (UNA) national president Jasmin Sha , with regards to the probe into the allegations of corruption in the organization.

The lookout notices have been issued against Sha, state president of the organization Shoby Joseph, Sha’s driver Nidhin Mohan and office staff Jithu P D.

The notice was issued after all the four have been absconding for several days. As per the notice, all the four are living in various false names at various places, and are wanted in the crime registered at the central unit of the agency in the capital. The charges against them includes criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, using forged document for cheating, using forged document as genuine, and committing a criminal act by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all.

According to crime branch sources, the agency has clear evidences that at least Rs 5 crore has been siphoned off from the funds of the organization by the accused. Funds were diverted for personal purposes, including to purchase a car for personal use. Also, the minutes of the association have been forged for siphoning off funds, for which the accused have claimed that the original minutes that were recorded and signed by more than 200 persons who participated were “corrected only for the mistakes”.

“This is an open and shut case. There are clear evidences for the crime committed by the accused. The minutes were recorded only subsequent to getting the signature of all the participants. Even this was then forged,” sources said.

The crime branch is probing the case on the basis of a petition by the association vice-president Sibi Mukesh. The petitioner sought a probe into the financial transactions of the association between April 2017 and January 31 this year.

In the petition, Mukesh had alleged that the organization’s bank account in Thrissur had received Rs 3.71 crore from April 2017 till January 19, this year, but the balance in the account on January 31 is only Rs 8, 55,

408. He had alleged that while Rs 1.40 crore was withdrawn through cheque and bank transfers for purposes like organizational work, office rent, paying fee to the advocates, paying levy to the nurses while they were on strike, etc. another Rs 2.20 crore was withdrawn through various other means.

He said that several individuals who are not directly linked with the organization have withdrawn money from the account without the knowledge of the organization. He said that the UNA has lost as much as Rs 3.50 crore, and despite some of the office-bearers demanding a detailed account statement, no action has been taken.

The UNA, which is one of the largest organizations of nurses in the country, have been taking up several issues relating to the nurses regarding their service and pay structures.