Churchill sent back to police custody for 3 more days
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 10 August 2015 15:55 IST
Former PWD minister Churchill Alemao will spend three more days in the police custody.
The special court at Panaji, dealing with corruption cases, extended Alemao’s remand to the police custody today afternoon.
He was produced in the court amidst tight police security.
Alemao was arrested near midnight on 5 August for his alleged involvement in the Louis Berger bribery case.
He is facing a charge of taking a bribe in crores, four times, to grant consultancy contract to US-based Louis Berger International Inc. to execute the water supply and sewerage project financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Alemao was then remanded to four-day police custody oln 6 August. It expired today.
Goa police vehemently opposed his release or even sending him to police custody.
The police counsel Adv Guruprasad Kirtani argued that Alemao’s involvement in the bribery case has been established, but still he was not cooperating with the probe.
Besides establishing his involvement in the bribery case, the police are tracing the JICA file, which is missing from the PWD office as well as the JICA project office.
Police have charged that Alemao, along with former chief minister Digambar Kamat and project director A M Wachasundar, held back the project and even Berger’s consultancy fee payment while demanding bribe.
This whole scandal could be established with documentary evidence only when the JICA file is traced and examined.
Meanwhile, Alemao has also approached the court, asking to bail him out, claiming that he is innocent.
Special court judge B P Deshpande has adjourned the hearing of his bail application till 13 August, making it clear that he will not be bailed out until his extended police custody period gets over.
It is not just enough to keep him in jail, get the money out from his belly. Valanka should be interrogated for her role because without her, there won't be any bribes. Shame on these scoundrels that they are living on people's money with people's curses.