PANAJI: Crime Branch police is likely to file supplementary charge sheet on Tuesday naming Margao MLA Digambar Kamat as the main criminal conspirator in the alleged multi-crore Louis Berger bribery case.
A year ago, police had filed charge sheet against the Louis Berger firm and six accused persons including former PWD minister Churchill Alemao. But Kamat was named as a suspected accused, as according to police, further investigation cannot be completed without the custodial interrogation of Kamat.
However, police said that a supplementary charge sheet will be filed as there is documentary evidence to prove the money trail and statements of witnesses under Section 164 CrPC against Kamat. Sources said that apart from evidence and statements, police will also rely on the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Goa water supply and sewerage project in which Louis Berger firm was part of a consortium.
Incidentally, in November last year, Crime Branch had filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court challenging the anticipatory bail order of Kamat and it is pending. A senior police officer said that if the court rejects the order, then Kamat will be subjected to custodial interrogation and that another supplementary charge sheet will be filed based on further evidence collected in the case. Sources claimed that the probe is still in progress as financial investments and other details of the accused persons are being examined.
On September 28 last year, police had filed charge sheet against six accused persons and Louis Berger firm. According to the investigating agency, though Kamat is the main criminal conspirator in the case, he was not named as an accused in the charge sheet but was mentioned as a suspected accused in the case. The reason according to police: “further investigation in respect of principal accused Kamat cannot be completed without the police custodial interrogation,” the police had said in the charge sheet.
It may be recalled that in the 482-page charge sheet, police had named former PWD minister Churchill Alemao, former head of the Goa water supply and sewerage project (funded by JICA) Anand M Wachasundar, former Louis Berger senior vice president James McClung, who was in charge of the company’s India operations, former vice president of Louis Berger (India operations) Satyakam Mohanty, alleged hawala operator Raichand Soni and former Margao municipal council chairperson Arthur D’Silva.
Referring to the case, police, in the charge sheet, had said that the investigation carried out so far revealed that prime conspirator Kamat and Alemao in the year 2009-2011 accepted illegal gratification in cash of Rs 1.2 crore and Rs 75 lakh, respectively from Louis Berger International Inc for JICA consultancy work.
It may be recalled that on July 21 last year, the Crime Branch police had registered an FIR in the Louis Berger bribery case. In connection with the case, Alemao, Wachasundar, Mohanty and Soni were arrested. All are presently out on bail.