Churchill freed by court, along with Wachasundar, after over 2 months
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 12 October 2015 15:04 IST
Former PWD minister Churchill Alemao is a free man now, after spending over two months in jail for his alleged involvement in the Louis Berger bribery case.
The CBI court today granted him bail, along with A M Wachasundar, director of the JICA-funded project.
Wachasundar has been released on bail after spending almost 77 days, since 27 July. Alemao spent 68 days in the jail.
Both of them have been granted bail while seeking personal bond of Rs five lakh each.
They have also been told to deposit their passport, thus they cannot leave the country.
Alemao, along with former chief minister Digambar Kamat, have been named as co-conspirators for allegedly accepting huge amount of bribe from Louis Berger International Inc, a US-based consultancy firm.
Kamat, however, is still out on anticipatory bail, which is presently challenged by the crime branch of Goa police in the high court.
This was the fourth attempt to Alemao to seek bail, after he was arrested by the crime branch of Goa police on 5 August.
After keeping the political heavyweight in the police custody for eight days, he was remanded to judicial custody on 13 July.
Since then Alemao is at Colvale jail.
After the high court had rejected his bail application – his third attempt, Alemao had preferred to wait for the crime branch to file the chargesheet.
After the chargesheet was filed on 28 September, Alemao had once again approached the CBI court with bail plea, in ‘changed circumstances’, on 1 October.
Bail applications of Wachasundar had also been rejected twice before by the CBI court.
He has been charged as a main dealer in the bribery case, a middleman between the former Congress ministers and Louis Berger officials, to decide the amount of bribes.
Louis Berger was appointed the consultant to execute water supply and sewerage project of worth Rs 1031 crore, financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
James McClung, the Asia head of Louis Berger, had admitted before the Department of Justice at New Jersey of having paid a bribe of total Rs six crore to ‘a’ minister and government officials of then Congress government of Goa.
The crime branch however has indicted two ministers - former CM Kamat and former minister Alemao, in the case.
McClung, though chargesheeted, is yet to be arrested by Goa police.
Also, the order on the petition challenging Kamat’s anticipatory bail would be delivered this week by the Bombay high court at Goa.
The crime branch has thus named Kamat only as a suspect in its first chargesheet, seeking custody of the former chief minister.
October month - should be celebrated by government as month of gangsters,molesters,smugglers ,cheaters , robbers , rapist release.
EXAMPLE: young spinster killers i.e making them use ratol after making them pregnant, , live in relationship mens with young women(sugar daddy girls) ,smugglers, robbers of goa.