Congress-led Goa govt delayed awarding bid to Louis Berger until bribes paid: Investigators

An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was filed after the ED received a copy of the FIR filed by the Goa Crime Branch.

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“An ECIR in M/s Louis Berger International Inc bribery case against ministers in Government of Goa during 2010 and others has been filed. The ECIR is filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” a senior ED official told The Indian Express.

Senior Goa police officers said key witnesses in the case have told the probe team that feelers were sent to the company after the award of contract was delayed. The probe team, officers said, have been told that two employees of Louis Berger met Churchill Alemao, then PWD minister, and Digambar Kamat, the then chief minister of the Congress-led government.

Churchill Alemao was arrested Wednesday night. On Friday, a local court extended until August 12 the interim protection from arrest granted to Digambar Kamat.

“The Crime Branch was supposed to file a reply against the anticipatory bail application at 2.30 pm on Friday but they failed to do so. Therefore, the court extended the protection granted to him,” Kamat’s counsel Surendra Desai told The Indian Express.

On Friday, police arrested a hawala operator Raichand Soni in connection with the money paid to two ministers. It is alleged Soni paid bribes totalling Rs 1.85 crore between 2009 and 2011. The money, police said, was paid through the hawala channel.

A Delhi hawala operator is the missing link in the case, police said. Soni will be produced in court on Saturday and the Goa Crime Branch will seek his custody.

A senior police officer told The Indian Express: “The bidding process started in 2009. Four firms submitted bids but Louis Berger was invited by the government as they were the first bidder and they fulfilled quality standards. When there was inordinate delay, the company got jittery. It wanted to bag the contract to establish itself as a reliable consultancy agency in India and enhance its profile. This was the reason why bribes were paid to the ministers.”

According to the officer, Kamat despite being the chief minister did not overrule Churchill Alemao’s decision relating to this contract. The remand application filed in court Thursday by the Crime Branch, seeking custody of Churchill Alemao, mentions one such instance where the chief minister did not intervene.