Team Herald
PANJIM: Monday marked International Anti-Corruption Day, a day observed across the world to raise awareness about and fight corruption collectively. O Heraldo used this occasion to turn the spotlight on Goa’s biggest scam in years that has a strong whiff of systemic corruption that refuses to go despite strong denials by the government and the ruling party at various levels. We are talking about the cash-for-jobs scam and nearly two months after the scam broke, the updates in the case are a pointer to how Goa’s fight against corruption is going.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
There have been a total of 35 arrests in the case since the first complaint was filed on October 21. The name of five government employees have come up, and the total monetary amount involved in the fraud is pegged at Rs 7.5 crore. The names of so many scam kingpins, queen-pins and their accomplices have come up – Pooja Naik, Shruti Prabhugaonkar, Deepashree Sawant Gawas, Uma Patil, Priya Yadav, Gauri Achari, Vishaya Gawade, Sagar Naik, Sunita Pawaskar, Mithil Chari, Mohammad Sadik, Sandip Parab and more.
And here is the most interesting angle of the case so far. Apart from Uma Patil, everyone else in that list of 35 arrested has got bail. Everyone.
Opposition politicians have raised their voice against the sheer extent of the scam and have slammed the government for not ordering a probe at the hands of a judicial commission, especially after multiple names with links to the government and the ruling BJP have come up.
AAP Goa President Amit Palekar said, “The wife of the Chief Minister has been named by us in this case. But the government has distanced itself and has tried to project that there are no politicians involved in the case. If they have no fear, why aren’t they appointing a judicial commission?”
Accroding to Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai, “As we observe another Anti-Corruption Day, the Government of Goa under BJP is setting records in corruption with almost a scam a day along with extraordinary attempts to cover them up. Even now, when cash-for-jobs scam has become a national issue, the government is desperately trying to protect the real, powerful conspirators who have betrayed the youth of the state, and irreversibly damaged Goa’s image and reputation.”
Political commentator Trajano Demello said, “The present investigation in the job scam is nothing but a sham. What is being investigated right now are cases of cheating which makes it seems like money was given and service was not provided. The real extent of the corruption has not even been touched,” he said.
