Team Herald
PANJIM: The North Goa District and Session Court on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for not appearing before the court for trial in Louis Berger bribery case, and hours later cancelled the warrant after Kamat’s counsel requested that the former CM be exempted from appearing on Thursday.
Kamat had appeared before the court in the trial for the first hearing while the second hearing was scheduled on Thursday, and he was not present due to personal reasons.
Kamat’s counsel, Advocate Surendra Desai, said that arguments before charges were scheduled on Thursday and there was no need of the accused to be present in the court. However, he mentioned that the neither the accused nor the lawyer were able to be present in the court due to unavoidable circumstances.
“The lawyer was supposed to seek exemption from the court for Kamat’s not appearing, but unfortunately he didn’t reach the court on time and the NBW was issued,” Desai said. He said that the counsel had immediately made a request to the court and the warrant was cancelled.
At the time of recording the accused’s statement and at the time of judgement, it is compulsory for the accused to be present, Desai said.
Crime Branch had filed a charge sheet naming Kamat and six others, including former PWD minister Churchill Alemao in the Louis Berger bribery case.
The chargesheet, running into over 1000 pages was filed before the special court in Panjim. Crime Branch also charged Louis Berger officials James McClung, former India Vice President of the company Satyakam Mohanty, head of JICA-aided project in Goa Anand Wachasunder, Hawala dealer Raychand Soni and former Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Arthur D’Silva.
Crime Branch during investigation interrogated Kamat several times, but he was not arrested as he managed to get anticipatory bail from a local court. Alemao, however, was arrested.
In the charge-sheet filed in October 2016, crime branch has termed Kamat as a prime conspirator.
