PANJIM: SP Bosco George, handpicked to head the crucial Anti Corruption Bureau was stopped in his tracks by CM Parsekar and unceremoniously booted out, because the officer turned the heat on Laxmikant Parsekar’s brother in law, an officer in GIDC who was caught red handed, accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh for handing over the possession of an industrial plot.
Post the arrest of the CM’s brother in-law, Ghanshyam Malvankar, the ACB seized valuables worth lakhs if not more, from the VIP accused. These included cash, fixed deposits of around Rs 25 lakh and lakhs of rupees worth of gold of ornaments and chips. Malvankar, however, moved the court seeking the release of his seized “property” for his daughter’s marriage in February. Let us not forget the at his daughter – the would be bride – is also the niece of Laxmikant Parsekar.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau, however, strongly opposed this in court and put up a strong case for not releasing the cash and valuables. The arguments obviously worked. All that the court allowed is a partial release of only the ornaments with a strict condition that they should be used during the period of marriage and should be surrendered back once the ceremony is performed.
On October 29, two days after the court order, the first axe fell. Police Inspector Nolasco Raposo who was handling the case of the CM’s brother-in-law, was moved out in a single transfer order to the CID cell in Mapusa in exchange for a medically unfit officer from the CID centre. Sources said that it was a direct diktat from the Chief Minster, with the Director Vigilance and the Chief Secretary who is the Chief Vigilance Officer, under whose command the ACB functions, neither informed nor consulted.
Convinced that the transfer of Raposo was done against the rules of business, his boss Bosco George, SP ACB, immediately moved a note to the government stating that the officer who was transferred to ACB, in place of Raposo, is medically unfit and hence he could not release Raposo from duty
It was only a matter of time. After backing his officers in putting up a strong case for not releasing the valuables seized from an accused in a serious corruption case, Bosco George gave enough indication that he wasn’t pleased with the transfer of his PI, without any discussion with him or his superiors
November 27 Bosco George too was moved out “in public” interest and posted as SP Security and Wireless. Those in the Vigilance department and the ACB surely know, in whose “interest” this was done. (Part 2: Tomorrow)
