On the second day of the five-day interrogation permitted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, a team of Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) officials today questioned YSR Congress Party President Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for more than six hours in the disproportionate assets case slapped against him. Earlier, the CBI took Mr Jagan to its office at Koti and questioned him in presence of his lawyers till 1700 hours. Later, he was taken back to Chanchalguda Jail as per the court orders. Mr Jagan was questioned for over six hours yesterday at the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Prisons near the Chanchalguda jail.
There were some anxious moments for CBI officials as the bullet-proof vehicle carrying Jagan got stuck for some time in a traffic jam in the morning. The agency wanted to know from Jagan the investments that flowed into his companies between 2004 and 2009 when his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister. The businessman-politician allegedly got the investments as a bribe for favours doled out by the YSR government to investors in the form of land, licenses and other concessions. The CBI believes a part of the bribe money was sent abroad to what are known as ‘paper/briefcase companies’ and routed back into Jagan’s firms through hawala. The funds were pumped in by some companies based in Luxembourg and Mauritius. Mr Jagan allegedly received investments to the tune of Rs.1,234 crore in his cement, power and media companies.
The YSR Congress Chief was arrested by the CBI on May 27. The next day, the CBI ourt sent him to judicial custody till June 11. The CBI team headed by its joint director V V Lakshminaryana would further question Mr Jagan till June 7 and produce him before the High Court the next day. UNI