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Louis Berger: ED registers PMLA case against ex-Goa ministers
Enforcement Directorate’s Panaji unit registered a Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) case against former ministers of Goa. The development comes on the day when a hawala operator Raichand Soni was arrested by the Goa crime branch for allegedly giving money to former PWD minister Churchill Alemao and former Congress CM Digambar Kamat.
In what could spell more trouble for former Congress minister in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday registered an Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR) in connection with the Louis Berger international bribery case.
The ED’s Panaji unit registered a Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) case against former ministers of Goa. "We have registered a case and have named Goa ministers. We are investigating who are involved," confirmed an ED officer, requesting anonymity.
The central agency sources stated that money trail in the scam is being tracked. ED officials said that the case was registered on the basis of the FIR registered by the Goa crime branch. Ministers have not been named in the case registered by ED, but a specific case will be registered when the central agency’s probe finds evidence against the accused, said ED sources.
The development comes on the day when a hawala operator Raichand Soni was arrested by the Goa crime branch for allegedly giving money to former PWD minister Churchill Alemao and former Congress CM Digambar Kamat.
Kamat along with Alemao has been accused of accepting bribes to the tune of $976,630 from Louis Berger officials to implement a Rs 1,031-crore Water Augmentation and Sewerage pipeline project under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Goa crime branch earlier arrested JICA Goa project director Anand Wachasunder and former vice president of Louis Berger Satyakam Mohanty in connection with the bribery case.
