Deshmukh, his staff did not demand money, Waze tells panel

In his statement to the ED, which went on to arrest Deshmukh and two of his staff members, Waze had said that at the behest of Deshmukh, he had illegally collected money from bar owners and handed over Rs 4.7 crore to Deshmukh’s staff in two instalments.

On Tuesday, during his cross-examination by Deshmukh’s lawyer Girish Kulkarni, when asked if there was any occasion where he had to make a payment to Deshmukh or any of his staff, Waze said, “No”.

When asked if Deshmukh or anyone from his staff asked him to collect money from bars and restaurants, Waze said, “No”

He was asked then since he had not collected any money on behalf of Deshmukh, there was no question of making any payment to Deshmukh or his staff in cash, Waze said, “Yes, it is correct.”
The defence lawyer asked for more time for cross examination, following which permission was given. The examination was then deferred till December 21.

Apart from Waze, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, whose letter alleging corruption had led to Deshmukh’s arrest, had altered his position.

During his deposition before the Chandiwal Commission, Singh had said that the allegations he made in the letter were based on what other officers had told him and hence was “hearsay”.

It was on the basis of Singh’s letter that the CBI had registered an FIR based on court orders. It was on the basis of the CBI offence that the ED had registered a case and arrested Deshmukh along with his staff members Kundan Shinde and Sanjeev Palande.