BASURI DESAI
basuri@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar reinstated his brother-in-law Ghanshyam Malvankar in service with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) but the fact that he was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh at Tuem Industrial Estate and subsequently arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) remains.
Malvankar, a field manager at Tuem Industrial Estate, was arrested in August 2015 while taking a bribe from a pharmaceutical company to allot an industrial plot. Following a tip off, the ACB laid a trap and arrested the accused. He was released on bail the following day but didn’t quite enjoy his new found freedom.
ACB seized Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, two gold chips of 100g each and gold jewellery worth Rs 15 lakh from a locker in Syndicate Bank’s Mapusa branch rented by the accused. ACB also searched two bank lockers owned by Malvankar and his wife, after he was released on bail in Sindhudurg Zilla Madhavarti Bank at Dodamarg but found only an empty locker.
ACB gave the accused no special treatment. No loopholes were kept by the investigation officer in the case. Within two months, voice samples of Malvankar were also recorded and sent for forensic examination to match the recordings of the accused recorded while making the deal before his arrest. The reports came positive.
ACB strongly opposed releasing the property and ornaments which were seized after the arrest. Malvankar appealed in court seeking the release of the seized property earlier this year. ACB also seized some cash, fixed deposits worth around Rs 25 lakh and gold ornaments and chips worth lakhs. But Malvankar appealed for the release of the ornaments for his daughter’s marriage.
Despite the strong ACB appeals not to release the property, the court granted partial release of the seized property, which meant that the ornaments were released for the marriage but had to be returned on conclusion of the ceremony.
ACB’s move was unexpected and Parsekar decided to intervene. The investigating officer, Nolsasco Raposo, was transferred within two days of the court order. Raposo, who was instrumental in setting over a dozen traps in various cases, was shunted out on October 29th in a single transfer order, posting him to CID centre, Mapusa. Soon after that, Superintendent of Police, Bosco George, an upright officer who was heading the ACB was also transferred posting him at SP Security, Wireless, SPCR.
George came on to the radar of the CM only because he strongly objected to the transfer of PI Raposo and had not released him for a long time from the ACB despite the transfer order. George even commenced correspondence with the Chief Vigilance Officer and Goa Police that the transfer cannot be processed without the approval of the Director of Vigilance which didn’t happen in the case of Raposo.
Sources at the Directorate of Vigilance had confirmed that both transfers were fallout of the political interference because of the fact that the accused was a close relative of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
