CBI to grill Rabri Devi again in assets case

PATNA, MAY 26: The Cetral Bureau of Investigation CBI is likely to re-examine Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Thursday in connection with ...

PATNA, MAY 26: The Cetral Bureau of Investigation CBI is likely to re-examine Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Thursday in connection with a disproportionate assets case against her husband and RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav, according to the agency sources.

The chief minister had in a letter to CBI agreed for her cross-examination for the second time on Thursday, the agency sources said.

The re-examination was likely to begin from 10.30 am at the official residence of Rabri Devi at Anne Marg here, the sources said.

Meanwhile, CBI Joint Director East, U N Biswas, in-charge of investigations into the fodder scam cases, arrived here this morning from Calcutta to supervise the interrogation.

CBI which had subjected the chief minister to nearly two hours of questioning on May 20 had charged her with quot;not fully cooperatingquot; with the agency team during examination.

The agency team led by its DIG N C Verma, Police Superintendent Patna Harinath Mishra and the investigating officer of the case S KMajumdar, had questioned Rabri Devi about her income from her dairy farm, expenses on shopping, tailoring, payment made to beauty parlours and expenses on education of her nine children, besides investment in real estate.

On May 21 CBI had told the Patna High Court that it wanted to re-examine the chief minister in the assets case alleging that the May 20 interrogation remained quot;inconclusivequot; as the agency officials were quot;insulted and humiliated.quot;

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The assets case No RC 5A/98 instituted by the CBI on August 18, 1998, charged the RJD president with having accumulated wealth totalling Rs 42.52 lakh in excess of his known sources of income during 1990-96 when he was the Bihar chief minister.

The CBI had on August 21 last year raided the official residence of chief minister before subjecting Yadav to a gruelling six hour-examination on October 1998 in the case.