2015 Telangana ‘cash-for-vote’ scam: ED submits charge sheet against state Cong chief

Hyderabad The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed a charge sheet against Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy as the prime accused on the charges of money laundering in the 2015 alleged cash-for-vote scam in Telangana

Hyderabad The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed a charge sheet against Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy as the prime accused on the charges of money laundering in the 2015 alleged cash-for-vote scam in Telangana.

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In its charge-sheet in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Nampally in Hyderabad, the ED also named Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, Revanth Reddy’s associate R Udaya Simha, former TDP legislative council member Vem Narendar Reddy’s son Vem Krishna Keertan Reddy, mediator Bishop Sebastian and others.

The ED’s charge sheet was based on the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Telangana, which later filed its own charge sheet in the ACB court in July, 2015.

The agency claimed its probe has established that the accused “committed the scheduled offence as well as the offence of money laundering by dealing with the bribe money which is nothing but proceeds of crime as per the PMLA.””Thus, the ED has filed a prosecution complaint against the above named accused persons with a prayer to hold a trial for the offence of money laundering,” it said.

The ACB caught Revanth Reddy, red-handed on May 31, 2015, while paying ₹50 lakh as an advance to nominated Anglo Indian MLA Elvis Stephenson for voting in favour of TDP candidate Vem Narender Reddy in the Telangana legislative council elections held on June 1, 2015.

Revanth Reddy was then a TDP lawmaker in Telangana assembly. He joined the Congress party in 2018 and has later become the working president of the PCC.

Stephenson, in his complaint to the ACB, alleged that Revanth Reddy had promised to pay another ₹1.5 crore after the voting, besides a flight ticket to leave the country.

Besides, the ACB also laid hands on a recorded telephonic conversation that purportedly took place between the Anglo-Indian MLA and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who was then Andhra Pradesh chief minister. The forensic experts also confirmed that the voice was that of Naidu.

However, the ACB and the ED, in their charge sheets, did not name Naidu as an accused in the case, as they could not get evidences to prove that the money was sent to Stevenson at the behest of Naidu.

The ACB booked Revanth Reddy and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. The ACB questioned 39 witnesses during the investigation.

Revanth Reddy and the other accused did not respond to calls, till the time of going to press.

(with PTI inputs)