Journalism of Courage
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has served a notice to BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa to provide details of Rs 40 crore he and family allegedly received in bribe from a steel company and its affiliates during 2008-11 when he was Karnataka cm.
The ED notice is part of a process to identify the final use of the money allegedly received to facilitate illegal mining and may culminate in seizure of assets. Sources said an engineering college run by a trust controlled by the Yeddyurappa family and other properties may be attached. A portion of the Rs 40 crore reportedly went to the trust.
The CBI had on October 16, 2012, chargesheeted Yeddyurappa, his two sons, son-in-law Sohan Kumar, steel major JSW and four Bellary-based JSW affiliates for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the bribery case. The bribe was allegedly paid for mining favours in 2010.
After filing the chargesheet, the CBI had written to the ED to begin the process of attaching illegal wealth acquired by the Yeddyurappa family.
The chargesheet says JSW affiliate South West Mining Company deposited Rs 20 crore in the personal bank accounts of B Y Raghavendra, a BJP MP, B Y Vijendra and Sohan Kumar between August and September 2010.
