Louis Berger bribery case: Premises of Goa ex-CM Digambar Kamat raided

Panaji: The NCP in Goa has demanded that the Louis Berger bribery case be handed over to the CBI immediately, alleging a “setting” in the manner that anticipatory bail has been granted to former chief minister Digambar Kamat.

Besides Margao, raids in Panaji were conducted above Vinanti restaurant, opposite Mum’s Kitchen restaurant at Campal, Alfran Plaza as well as at Altinho residence. Besides Kamat’s Madgaon residence, the homes and offices of his associates Gaurish Lawande, Nilesh Lawande and Narhar Thakur were searched. “Summons will be issued to the people concerned shortly after the completion of the scrutiny of the documents”, an ED spokesperson said. The ED had earlier this month lodged an FIR relating to money laundering in the Louis Berger case to probe charges of bribing Indian officials to allegedly win a major water developmental project in Goa.

An alleged hawala dealer Raichand Soni was also arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with the bribery case in which two former chief ministers, including Kamat and officials are in the dock. Mr Kamat has been on interim bail for nearly two weeks, even as the prosecution, which has been demanding his arrest, has alleged that the former chief minister received more than Rs.

The Crime Branch officials were accompanied by sleuths of Enforcement Directorate (ED) which has also registered a case regarding the scandal.

Alemao, along with three others, have already been arrested in connection with the case.

A M Wachasundar, the suspended project director, is still in the judicial lock up, along with Alemao.

Crime Branch has maintained that Kamat was delivered the bribe amount in installments.

Louis Berger was selected for consultancy to implement the project, worth Rs 1031 crore, funded by Japan international Cooperation Agency (JICA).