Crime Branch sleuths claim fresh evidence
the goan I network
PANAJI
The chargesheet which was submitted before the Special Court under Prevention of Corruption Act has taken the total number of witnesses in the matter to 50.
Speaking to The Goan, Superintendent of Police (Crime) Karthik Kashyap stated, “Through this chargesheet, fresh evidence has been included. The trail of bribe from James McLung of Louis Berger to the accused has been explained. We have also attached the CAG report of 2012-13 along with the detailed report submitted by the technical expert committee constituted under vigilance officer KV Shrikrishnan, which points out the violation of JICA guidelines.”
It was hinted that another supplementary chargesheet is likely in the case.
Referring to the Special Leave Petition pending before Supreme Court, where the bail granted to Kamat is being challenged, Kashyap said, “The custodial interrogation of Kamat is absolutely necessary for establishing the money trail and to corroborate other evidence.”
Investigation carried out so far has revealed that the
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consortium partners as well as sub-contractors were used as a conduit for inappropriate payments and subsequently delivered to Kamat and other accused.
The investigating agency also claimed to have traced several dummy companies, documents of wealth and different accounts accumulated by Kamat all over India in his name as well as his proxy. “The bribe money has been dumped by Kamat in the name of his close family members, who acted as proxy,” reads the chargesheet.
The list of companies in which Kamat’s close relatives were used as directors or designate partners on the website of Ministry of Company Affairs confirms that he used their name, it has been stated.
Seven such private limited companies involved in mining, builders and developers, engineering and contractors, shipbuilding and logistic have been named in the chargesheet. These include Balaji Krupa Property & Holdings, Radha Shipping & Logistics, Ganeshya Infrastructure, Apollo Engineers and Contractors, Bitnet Technologies, IWEB Technology Solutions and KP Builders & Developers.
The chargesheet further states, “Between 2007 and 2011, Kamat and Churchill attempted to take control of the entire project right from the tendering of Project Management Consultancy to the actual implementation of JICA Project which amounted to Rs 1,031 crore.”
It is observed that the project suffered several setbacks and has dragged over years due to sloppy management and delay caused by bureaucrats as well as tentative political decision-making.
The statement of one Bimal Kuchroo, director of Holistic Urban Innovation Pvt Ltd, appears to have proved crucial in establishing how the bribe money exchanged hands.
Kuchroo was summoned to facilitate further investigation and to scrutinize the internal investigation of the Louis Berger-India
During his interrogation, Kuchroo disclosed that he had sent a proposal for GIS and asset management services for the subcontract to LB-India towards JICA water and sewerage project in Goa for Rs 1.44 crore.
Kuchroo stated that he was instructed by Mohanty to enlarge the scope of work and to increase the cost to
Rs 4.2 crore.
Accordingly, on September 18, 2009, the agreement was executed between the contractor LB Group Inc. and Holistic for a total of Rs 4.2 crore.
Kuchroo also said that Mohanty also informed him despite the contract amount, Holistic has to carry out work of asset management services worth Rs 1.45 crore approximately. The remainder of the amount was to be returned to Louis Berger officials as a commission towards the subcontract.
Scope of work in the final contract document was worth Rs 2.30 crore. However, Holistic paid M/s Gagandeep Tradelink Pvt Ltd the amount mentioned in the
subcontract.
The investigating agency has stated that Kuchroo couldn’t submit either invoices or any other documents substantiating the work done for the JICA project in Goa.
In addition to this, the chargesheet also spoke of the report attached in the email received from Tobias Trautner, Vice President and general counsel (International) Louis Berger Inc.
The report reveals that Satyakam Mohanty, the LBG signatory on the contract with Holistic Urban Development. Inc had approved all the inappropriate payments that were made by the consortium members and the LBG- India’s portion of these payments was at least $9,76,000.
Former chief minister Churchill Alemao and three others were arrested in August last year in connection with the US firm bribery case after the New Jersey-based construction management firm was charged with bribing Indian officials several crores of rupees to win major water development projects in Goa, under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) in 2009.
Churchill Alemão, Anand Wachasundar, Satyakam Mohanty, Raichand Soni, James McClung, Louis Berger Group Inc, USA and Arthur D’Silva were later named as the
accused in the primary chargesheet.
