ED case against mantris of 2010 to probe money flow in berger bribe case

PANAJI: Even as the crime branch of Goa police on Friday arrested alleged hawala operator Raychand Soni, who arrived from Dubai on Thursday, in the Louis Berger bribery case after the operator gave a statement to a court under Section 164 of CrPC, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swung into action and registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against “ministers” of the Goa government in 2010, Louis Berger International Inc and others, in connection with the bribery scam to probe the financial angle.
The others arrested so far in the case by the crime branch are former PWD minister Churchill Alemao, former JICA project director A Wachasundar and former India head of Louis Berger Satyakam Mohanty, while former chief minister Digambar Kamat, who has moved an anticipatory bail application has been questioned twice by the sleuths. The ED has not named anyone in the case.
Goa police said Soni, who has been operating from Dubai for the last four years, in his statement before the local court corroborated the claims made by former Louis Berger officials and director of one of the consortium that they have paid money to Kamat and Alemao.
Few hours before the arrest, the crime branch recorded Soni’s statement before the judicial magistrate first class, Panaji.
Soni told the police that the money was transferred from New Jersey to Gurgaon through bank and he transferred the same through hawala route to Goa from Gurgaon. Soni also has an office at Panaji in Goa from where he handles customers.
The crime branch also recorded the statement of Soni’s employee in Goa, Mukesh Bharti, who was instrumental in delivering the money to former Louis Berger officials in Goa which is said to be handed over to the ministers.
Police said Soni told them that he did not know whom the money was handed over to when the money was delivered in Goa at the instance of former Louis Berger officials.
Police alleged that one of the ex-employee of Louis Berger disclosed that he had witnessed the four transactions wherein Rs 50-60 lakh on one occasion and Rs 15 lakh on another occasion was delivered to Alemao and Rs 50-60 lakh was delivered on two occasions to Kamat.
Police said that director of one of the consortium stated that he had paid around Rs 50-60 lakh to Alemao at his Varca residence.
As the crime branch officials arrested Soni, ED moved in swiftly to do an independent probe. ED sources said that the case has been registered under prevention of money laundering Act 2002. The Goa police on Friday furnished a photocopy of first information report registered by the crime branch. ED had written to director general of police (DGP) T N Mohan seeking the FIR copy.
During the last few days, ED on its own was keeping a watch on the developments that unfolded after the department of justice, USA, revealed that Louis Berger International Inc officials had paid a bribe to bag consultancy contract for JICA-funded water and sewerage projects.
Sources said that ED will look into the hawala transactions which have taken place to pay the bribe to ministers and officials in Goa to win the consultancy contract.
ED filed the case in Goa, a day after it registered a money laundering case in the Louis Berger bribery case in Assam to probe charges of bribing Indian officials with several crores of rupees to win a major water developmental project in Guwahati.