CBI to close case against Parrikar
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, FEB 24
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is filing a closure report in the investigations initiated against former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for alleged corruption and irregularities with regard to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2004.
Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy disclosed this in a written reply to Goa’s Congress MP Shantaram Naik in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He said the evidence against Parrikar, who is now leader of opposition in the Goa assembly, “has not been found to be sufficient to prosecute him in the case.”
The case was registered and investigations were conducted under sections 409, 421, 423, 431, 432, 463, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 10 & 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In a statement, Naik said the closure report whenever filed by the CBI in a court in Goa should be opposed since Parrikar’s grant of the government land worth crores of rupees to a private party to build a cinema theatre for the film festival itself attracts several penal provisions.
He had headed a committee set up by the Goa Congress to probe the film festival irregularities in 2004.
Congress leader Mauvin Godinho had accused Parrikar of financial embezzlement while building infrastructure for the 2004 IFFI, which was being held in Goa for the first time.
The case was filed at the Panjim town police station after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report alleged illegalities into the IFFI 2004. The case investigation was eventually handed over to the CBI.
Core-committee members for IFFI 2004 including Parrikar, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, Power Minister Aleixo Sequeira, Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Education Minister Babush Monserrate and others were questioned.
The minister also disclosed that nine Goa cases were under the CBI’s investigation as on January 31 while the agency had filed 14 charge sheets since January 2008.
Giving a progress report of the other cases, the Union minister said that the cases against A M Alornekar, superintendent of Customs at Mormugao and 12 others; Sjro N Chenchiah, then GM (Retd) BSNL and the case against S S Pai, branch manager of Canara Bank, Siridao are pending for prosecution’s sanction.
Whereas, the case against Sriram Meena, sanitary inspector of the Mormugao Port Trust and another is in the final stage.
Narayanasamy further made a mention of cases which are presently under CBI’s investigation. These include corruption charges against M K Farde, assistant provident fundcommissioner, Employees Provident Fund Organisation at Panjim, another case against Navo alias Nilesh Kano Shelko, labour with maintenance development, BSNL; Suresh Vinayak Azgaonkar alias Suresh Vinayak Marozkar, Sepoy with the Customs House at Mormugao and his wife; and Maria Fernandes, examiner customs, and others.
CBI officials were not available for comments till late Thursday night.
