Team Herald
PANJIM: MGP Mapusa candidate Balu Phadke has been named in the charge sheet filed by the Economic Offences Cell (EOC) in the Goa Cricket Association scam.
The cell filed a 1032-page charge sheet listing evidence against GCA President Chetan Dessai, Secretary Phadke and former treasurer Akbar Mulla in the Rs 3.13 crore BCCI fund cheating case.
The charge sheet, filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Panjim, identifies then GCA President Dayanand Narvekar as an accused even though his name was not in the First Information Report, registered in June 2016.
As many as 66 persons are witnesses in the case that saw the arrest of the trio, who were later bailed out.
EOC alleges that the accused opened a bank account by forging documents and siphoned off the association’s money in two installments – Rs 2.87 crore and Rs 26 lakh – which had come to the association from BCCI.
As per a complaint filed by GCA life member Vilas Desai, the trio opened accounts between October 23, 2006 and May 23, 2008, when GCA was headed by Narvekar and Dessai was its secretary and Phadke its treasurer.
“They prepared forged documents as well as a resolution of GCA and submitted it to the Development Credit Bank to open an account. They then encashed a cheque of Rs 2.87 crore given by BCCI to GCA,” a senior officer said quoting the complaint.
The complainant had further alleged that the accused forged signatures on another cheque and withdrew Rs 26 lakh from the Federal Bank on the pretext of making payment to a sports goods company.
Though the forensic report of signatures of accused in connection with the cheque amounting Rs 2.87 crore came negative, the report for the cheque of Rs 26 lakh was positive. EOC claims they have witnesses to prove the offence.
