MARGAO: Convicted Nuvem MLA Francisco Mickky Pacheco appeared before Margao JMFC Kalpana Gawas on Wednesday in connection with a casino extortion case in South Goa.
The court heard the defence arguments and set the next hearing for August 13 to hear the prosecution’s arguments.
In September 2009, Goa Crime Branch officials quizzed Mickky for nearly two hours in connection with the extortion case registered against him. He was asked to appear on the June 17, but failed to do so. He appeared on June 29 instead.
Mickky’s advocate has alleged that he was illegally, falsely and with malicious intentions implicated in the case and made to appear for five years. He prayed for Mickky’s discharge from the case. Pacheco was the Tourism Minister in the Congress govt regime in 2009 when he allegedly got into a rumble with the manager of ‘Casino Treasure’ at the Majorda Beach Resort, for which a complaint was filed. After five years and several hearings, the charge sheet is yet to be filed.
The defence arguments went on for over an hour. Advocate Shrikant Naik argued, “The report of the complainant former captain Gerald Fernandes, when verified and interpreted properly, does not point out to any cognizable offence against Mickky Pacheco. I wonder where these sections of 341, which is illegal and wrongful restraint, and 352, which is assault by using criminal force, come into the picture.”
“The police coming up with these sections to make it a cognizable offence and rope in the Tourism Minister are a ploy of some people. All the witnesses, including the supervisors and dealers in the casino, have openly said that Mickky was a good player at the table. It proves that he wasn’t wrong,” added Adv Naik.
He also mentioned that Mickky had been winning big at three instances and accumulated around Rs 1.25 crore, which was worrying the casino management. The case against him could be to avoid paying the money.
“The casino staff was forced to give a statement against Mickky in the past, but they had refused to sign the paper. The staff was fired for doing this. This very fact shows that Gerald has some personal grudge and there is some motive behind slapping these charges onto Mickky,” alleged Adv Naik.
