In a twist in the Louis Berger bribery case, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has revealed that the name of his predecessor Digambar Kamat first cropped up in a probe by the local crime branch, and not in the one conducted by the US Federal Agency. Speaking to The Sunday Express at his official residence in Panjim Saturday, Parsekar said, “While former PWD minister Alemao Churchill’s name was revealed in the probe conducted by the US Federal Agency, the name of the second politician, Digambar Kamat, came up during the probe by the Goa Crime branch.” “In confessional statements of witnesses under oath, they revealed the same names and narrated the same sequence of events leading to payment of bribe and therefore the Crime Branch built its case against the two politicians. We have strong evidence against the two and I am very satisfied with the probe conducted by the police,” he said. Churchill was arrested on Wednesday. Kamat has filed for anticipatory bail, which will be heard on August 12. The case came to light after the company was charged in the US for alleged bribery. On July 21, the Goa crime branch registered an FIR against unknown ministers in the Goa government of 2010 and against company officials. When questioned about allegations by the two former ministers that this was a politically motivated investigation, Parsekar said, “A very fair and unbiased probe is being conducted by the agency. I don’t interfere in the probe. I did not suggest any names. I have given a free hand to the police. When the statements of all the key witnesses have been recorded before the court and they are all naming the same two politicians, how can it be called politically motivated?” [related-post] He said Kamat should come clean instead of filing for anticipatory bail. “I was told by his supporters that they will protest in the eventuality of his arrest. He is trying to arm-twist, but the police have a strong case,” he added. The CM said two other projects awarded to Louis Berger in Goa would also be probed. “The new airport project at Mopa and the sea link feasibility study contract worth Rs 5.75 crore for which the previous government hired Louis Berger will be probed, “ he said. The BJP had protested the proposed sea link project. The previous government had hired Louis Berger to prepare a viability report. “If we find that the company paid a bribe, we will blacklist them,” he added. Louis Berger is one of the four consultancy companies involved in the airport project at Mopa, South Goa. The company has completed around 80 per cent of its work and the Goa government plans to allow the firm to complete its work. Parsekar concluded, saying that his government had a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to corruption. Meanwhile, the Goa crime branch on Saturday recorded the statement of additional secretary (Finance) Michael D’Souza, allegedly in relation to a possible leak of some pages of the missing file on the water supply project, to Kamat. The CM, however, said D’Souza had only provided minutes of a high-powered committee’s meeting. Any project worth more than Rs 5 crore is vetted by such a committee and all communication is maintained in records. Parsekar said the documents supplied by D’Souza were only recommendations made by the committee. “The project approvals signed by the CM, which is the main part of the file, is still missing,” Parsekar said. Meanwhile, investigators claim to have found more evidence against Kamat. “There were three committees that vetted the project — the project implementation committee, the state coordination committee and the PWD coordination committee,” said a senior officer. “In all three committees, Kamat wanted his people to ensure he had the last word.” The then CM also wanted the project to be carried out as per guidelines of the Goa State Works Board (GSWB), not as per JICA guidelines, as the GSWB is under the CM’s control, the officer added. Meanwhile, a Delhi-based hawala operator accused of taking money from an employee of Louis Berger, which was delivered by arrested hawala dealer Raichand Soni to the accused politicians, remains at large. “Soni was arrested from Panjim and sent to police custody until August 11,” Superintendent of Police , Goa crime branch, Kartik Kashyap said. Sources claim that Soni corroborated statements of other witnesses under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
