ACB has summoned both on Monday. SP Vimal Anand Gupta said, “We are verifying the facts. Actual investigation has commenced now, everybody who has played a role will be called for investigation.”
Senior ACB officials said the directors on the board during the period under investigation are likely to be summoned. Housing secretary S Kumarswamy will also be called for investigation as he served during that period.
Sources in the Housing Board confirmed that the process was done at the behest of then Chairman Nilkanth Halarnkar. Sources said MDs Melvin Vaz and Swapnil Naik were transferred because they had refused to sign the file and move it to secretary for further approval. Naik was transferred within 15 days of taking charge in 2011. The matter was also taken to then Housing Secretary Kumarswamy, but bypassing him the reversion process was cleared by Halarnkar with the help of then MD Elvis Gomes who took charge as MD on May 11, 2011.
The letter from Vincent Gracias, one of the heirs out of 19, seeking reversal of the land is dated March 18, 2011 and the board meeting the next day resolved to revert the land.
From the March 19 till Gomes took the charge on May 11, 2011 nothing transpired until June 7, 2011 when Gomes sent the proposal to the joint secretary housing and on July 5, 2011 the land was reverted.
On the reverted land, two shopping malls, a residential complex with 600 flats and 40 row houses have been approved by South Goa Planning & Development Authority (SGPDA) recently and work has commenced.
