TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: In a major setback to three persons including a Congress politician, who among others are named in the Rs 50 crore Khorgao mining scam the High Court of Bombay at Goa cancelled their anticipatory bail on Wednesday which was granted by the North District and Sessions Court last year.
Congress spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu, suspended Mines Director Arvind Lolienkar and the retired senior geologist Hectar Fernades have, however, been given four weeks to approach the Supreme Court in case they want to challenge the order.
The Sessions Court had granted them anticipatory bail in separate orders last year which was subsequently challenged by the Crime Branch before the High Court.
While Lolienkar and Fernandes are booked for allegedly deliberately misplacing files against Congress spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu, in an attempt to shield him in the case; Deshprabhu is alleged to have illegally extracted, transported, stored and exported ore from his property at Korgao in Pernem.
The illegal trade has caused an estimate loss of Rs 50 crore to the State exchequer, and the figure is likely to rise.
