PANAJI
Sources disclosed that the Crime Branch has prepared a flow chart explaining the trail of money in the case. “The flow chart explains the trail of Rs 2 crore, how the money is sent to former Louis Berger vice president Satyakam Mohanty and how the money later reached to hawala operator Raichand Soni,” said the police source.
The trail begins with an asset management contract bagged by Louis Berger which was then sub-contracted to a Delhi-based company, Holistic Urban Innovations. Holistic Urban Innovations initially submitted a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore. However, at the behest of Mohanty, the cost of work was enhanced to Rs 4.3 crore while retaining the scope of work.
The difference of Rs 2.8 crore was to be ‘returned’ to the primary contractor. Crime Branch is presently in the process of ascertaining the status of this particular work, it was learnt.
The trail was further extended to include a West Bengal-based company, Gagandeep Trade Link with Holistic Urban further sub-contracting the work to it at a cost of Rs 2.3 cr. Police are probing the authenticity of Gagandeep Trade Link so as to rule out the possibility that it is a fictitious entity.
The difference of Rs two crore was delivered to Mohanty. The amount entered Goa through the then Louis Berger official, Sanjay Jindal. Jindal passed on the amount to the hawala operator Raichand Soni before the amount was finally delivered to the accused.
CAG 2012-13 report mentioned that the delay in tendering of works under JICA projects resulted in additional burden of Rs 166.37 crore to the State government. Moreover, delays in tender acceptance resulted in additional liability of Rs 69.02 crore due to price escalation.”
Besides, the CAG report also stated that the capital expenditure of Rs 329.01 crore incurred under JICA project during the period 2009-13 was not shown in the accounts of the State government. The gap between the cost of operation of water supply schemes and the revenue generated was fixed at Rs 480.50 crore from 2008 to 2013.
CID-Crime Branch has included the detailed report submitted by the technical expert committee, which was constituted under vigilance officer, KV Shrikrishnan, wherein he points out the violation of the JICA guidelines by Churchill and Kamat. Statements of all the witnesses in the case have also been attached.
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.
Crime Branch, on September 28, had filed a 482-page, preliminary chargesheet.
