Team Herald
PANJIM: Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Vigilance Department has finally empanelled 10 Chartered Accountants (CA) for a speedy investigation of the disproportionate asset cases before them. The need for a CA was felt when ACB began a preliminary enquiry against Quepem MLA Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar in the disproportionate assets case.
The government has approved the sanction of the CAs and ACB has empanelled them but payment to one of the CAs is pending following discrepancies in the order. A senior officer of the ACB said there is no financial provision made in the order. However, an officer from Vigilance Department said that it is a technical problem and would be sorted out soon.
Over a dozen cases have been pending investigation for years with ACB in the absence of a CA, for which a sanction has been awaited for three years. Besides Kavlekar, PWD Executive Engineer K H Kamaladini, PSI Sunil Gudlar and others are facing charges in disproportionate asset cases.
“There are almost 14 to 15 disproportionate assets cases at ACB against public servants pending investigation for many years. There is a need of designated CAs for valuation and other financial related works,” an ACB officer said.
ACB had filed a case of disproportionate assets against Kavlekar, who was heading the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) for seven years, till 2012.
The anti-corruption sleuths were provided information that Kavlekar had purchased nine properties of a rubber plantation in Perinad-Patthanamthita in Kerala. The preliminary inquiry indicated amassing of wealth to the tune of Rs five crore and misusing his position as IDC chief.
ACB after registering an offence against Kamaladini in a PWD tendering scam booked him for alleged disproportionate assets he secured misusing his position in the department.
ACB also booked Gudlar and is verifying his source of income from September 2009 to December 2010 when he secured wealth which includes properties. ACB has attached the property documents.
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Long way ahead for
Kavlekar’s inquiry
The preliminary inquiry against Kavlekar is also pending for want of translation of documents sourced from Perunad-Pathanamthita Sub Registrar which are in Malayalam. The documents include all the deeds and affidavits signed by Kavlekar while purchasing the property in Kerala which were not shown on the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission while contesting the 2012 elections. ACB officials said the translated documents will be received by this month end and after that a team of senior officers would visit Pathanamthita in Kerala to record the statements of all concerned parties.
