Did Digambar skip summons to evade possible arrest?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 12 August 2015 13:42 IST
Former chief minister Digambar Kamat has skipped the summons to appear before crime branch by today noon, probably to escape possible arrest.
His anticipatory bail application, in connection with the Louis Berger bribery case, will be heard today afternoon.
According to sources in the crime branch, Kamat has sent a letter to the crime branch that he is busy with his lawyer.
Perhaps Kamat fears that he would be kept busy with interrogation till the hearing gets over and would be arrested if his bail plea is rejected.
If his bail plea is rejected, the lawyers could try and get permission from the court to approach the high court and escape the arrest till the higher court hears his bail plea.
Kamat could try and evade arrest till he approaches all the possible courts, up to the Supreme Court, with his plea to grant him anticipatory bail.
While the crime branch had filed the FIR on 21 July, Kamat was first interrogated on 29 July.
Fearing arrest, Kamat had then applied for anticipatory bail on 5 August.
Kamat is facing a charge of accepting huge amount of bribe – Rs 1.20 crore till now – to grant consultancy contract to Louis Berger International Inc., the US-based consultancy firm.
The firm is executing a augmentation of water supply and sewerage project in Goa, financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Kamat was the chief minister when consultancy of JICA project was granted to Louis Berger firm.
He has been charged by the Goa police as a main criminal conspirator in the bribery case, along with his then cabinet colleague, former PWD minister Churchill Alemao.
The police have already put Alemao behind the bars since 5 August. He is still in the police custody.
Both Kamat and Alemao are facing similar charges and the special court dealing with corruption cases has refused even judicial custody to Alemao.
The police have also nabbed A M Wachasundar, Goa’s suspended project director of the JICA-funded project. He is presently been sent to the judicial custody, after his arrest on 27 July and serving police custody.
Similarly, Satyakam Mohanty, former vice president of Louis Berger (India) and Dubai-based hawala operator Raichand Soni have also been arrested by Goa police.
