PANJIM: In a dramatic late night development, a team of Crime Branch (CB) sleuths swooped down on the Varca residence of former PWD minister Churchill Alemao on Wednesday night and arrested him in connection with the Louis Berger bribery case.
At about 11 pm, Alemao was picked up from his Varca residence and brought to Crime Branch office at Ribandar where he reached at about 11.50 pm. He was later taken to the SP’s cabin and was being questioned at the time of going to press. He was being questioned by SP Karthik Kashyap and two other officials. A large police force was summoned at the CB office and it was almost like a curfew situation around the place.
There were about three vans and 50 to 60 policemen around the CB office. Sources said the police force was deployed as they apprehended trouble from people who might gather from South Goa. Two of Alemao’s close friends were already at the CB office. CB called for more security.
He was expected to be taken for a medical examination at around 3 am.
Sources said that Joaquim Alemao, Yuri Alemao and Kennedy Alfonso were rushing to CB.
Alemao is the third person to be arrested in the case. The first to be arrested was JICA project director A Wachasundar, followed by former Louis Berger vice president Satyakam Mohanty.
Louis Berger International, a New Jersey firm, admitted to bribes being paid to secure a water supply project in Goa, as part of bribes paid for projects in Assam (in India) in Vietnam, Indonesia and Kuwait. The company paid a $17.3 million as settlement with the US Department of Justice. A bribe of USD 976,630 was paid for a Goa project by Louis Berger. This amount included payments to a minister, details of which have not been disclosed by the US Department of Justice.
Louis Berger was a part of a consortium of consultants consisting of Nihon Suido, Nippon Koei and Shah Technical Consultants.
