PANJIM: In what could add further woes to their troubles, a former Louis Berger official has claimed that Rs 50-60 lakh was delivered as bribe to former chief minister Digambar Kamat and the now-arrested former PWD minister Churchill Alemao on two occasions to win the JICA water developmental and sewerage projects in 2010-11.
Two former official of Louis Berger – Sanjay Jindal and Shiv Ram Prasad – had deposed before a judicial magistrate over a week ago while director of Shah Consultancy Prasanna Shah was the third witness whose statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure last week. In their statement, Crime Branch (CB) stated, the two politicians are accused of accepting the lump sum amount as bribe.
“One of the ex-employees of Louis Berger Inc disclosed that he witnessed the four transactions wherein Rs 50-60 lakh on one occasion and Rs 15 lakh on one (another) occasion was delivered to Alemao, and Rs 50-60 lakh on two occasion to Kamat in 2010-11,” the CB’s submission before the District Court states. The crucial witness is said to hail from Chandigarh.
In another confession made by Shah, around Rs 50-60 lakh was paid to Alemao at his Varca residence in 2009-10 while it also drags the former JICA project engineer Anand Wachasunder – first arrested accused in the case – as a culprit. “One of the consortium disclosed before the court that Louis Berger Inc were paying bribes to the officials of JICA project, the then CM and the then PWD minister in 2009-11,” the prosecution copy, available with Herald, said.
The five page copy also mentions that there is enough evidence to confirm that money exchanged hands with both former ministers and others in 2009-11. “The offence is highly critical in nature involving high profile politicians/officials and the same needs to be investigated thoroughly as it has international ramifications,” it states.
Submitting further details of the investigation to the District and Sessions Court, the CB also tagged Alemao as ‘marginally noted accused’.
“The involvement of marginally noted accused is established and more evidence is required to be collected at the instance of the accused persons… It is quite evident and amply clear that the then PWD minister and then Chief Minister, and others in 2009-11 favoured Louis Berger company and their consortium partners for monetary gains by abusing their position and in connivance with the government servants obtained pecuniary advantage, and caused massive loss to the State,” the copy stated.
