Hyderabad, September 02: Nearly a dozen people including Kadapa MP and YSR Congress party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy may be arrested anytime by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the disproportionate assets and Emaar Properties case.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate began its investigation after registering a case against Jagan Mohan Reddy. Besides the charges of accumulation of wealth using illegal means and twisting rules and regulations for land allotments, both the CBI and ED probes are also focussed on the largescale money laundering using fake companies. The Serious Fraud Investigation Agency, CBI and Enforcement Directorate have conducted a similar investigation in the Satyam Scam wherein Ramalinga Raju allegedly used over 300 fake companies to execute the fraud.
The CBI has already served notices to 100 witnesses, including officials and private individuals, in connection with the Emaar Properties allotment scam. Noted venture-capatalist Nimmagadda Prasad also appeared before the CBI’s temporary headquarters at Dilkusha Guest House and was questioned about his investments into Jagan companies. Many more bigwigs are likely to be summoned for questioning. However, the CBI has reportedly prepared a list of nearly a dozen people including Jagan Mohan Reddy who would be arrested in connection with both the cases.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate might also seize Jagan’s assets and freeze bank accounts, as it has done in the case of Satyam Computers. The CBI too has hastened up the scrutinising of documents that it seized from multiple raids across the country. Despite Eid and Vinayaka Chaturthi holidays, the CBI officials continued their investigation on Tuesday and Wednesday and reportedly procured some key documents from the departments concerned located at the State Secretariat. It might be recalled that the CBI’s Joint Director VV Laxminarayana has sought permission from the Chief Secretary SV Prasad for an access to the documents that are relevant with the case.
Sources say that initially, the ED might seize the assets of Jagathi Publications besides freezing its bank accounts. Later, other companies of Jagan Mohan Reddy would face the ire of ED and CBI’s investigation. More than the CBI probe, the Enforcement Directorate’s actions might cause damage to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s empire. The Kadapa MP will not have access to his assets or bank accounts, unless he gets a clean chit from the court.
Apprehensions of Jagan’s arrest have sent shockwaves in his newly launched party. If the Speaker N Manohar accepts the resignation of 26 MLAs and Jagan Mohan Reddy is arrested, then the YSR Congress party will not only be headless, but it will also be without a star campaigner for the by-polls. The pro-Jagan MLAs have alleged that the Congress was trying to end Jagan’s political career using the mask of CBI probe.
Though not openly, but the Congress leaders are happy with the latest developments. With the entry of Enforcement Directorate into the case, they hope that Jagan could not escape the arrest and the political threat that he possessed for the Kiran Kumar Reddy Government would be minimised and diluted.
——Agencies