Mysuru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said his government will not interfere in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into alleged irregularities in a state corporation.
The ED is carrying out searches in four states, including the premises of a former minister in the Siddaramaiah government, B Nagendra, and ruling Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal, who is president of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, they said. official sources. .
The agency covered around 20 locations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and one more state as part of a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said.
"Let ED do their job, we will not interfere in that. Let them do their job according to the law, let them do what they have to do," Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question about the raids.
The issue of illegal money transfers, involving the Corporation, came to the fore after its superintendent of accounts, Chandrasekharan P., committed suicide on May 26.
He left a note claiming unauthorized transfer of Rs 187 million belonging to the Corporation from his bank account; Thereafter, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally transferred to various accounts purportedly belonging to "known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, among others.
Chandrasekharan named the Corporation's now suspended managing director J. G. Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram G. Durugannavar and Union Bank of India chief manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while stating that the "Minister" had issued oral orders to transfer the funds.
Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Nagendra, who was the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister, tendered his resignation on June 6.
The state government has constituted an SIT headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Crimes, in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to carry out the investigation.
The SIT questioned Nagendra and Daddal on Tuesday in connection with the case.
Mumbai-based Union Bank of India also filed a complaint with the CBI in connection with misappropriation of money belonging to the corporation in connection with its MG Road branch, following which the premier investigating agency launched a probe.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra said that based on the Union Bank of India's letter, the CBI has registered an FIR and now the ED is also conducting raids in connection with the case. "We welcome the ED raids in Nagendra and Daddal."
"This is probably a huge corruption scam unheard of in the history of the state. The money kept for the ST communities has been misappropriated and diverted to other states for the elections there and for the Lok Sabha elections," he alleged.
Vijayendra further said that until a couple of days ago the SIT, which was constituted by the state government, did not even bother to notify Nagendra and Daddal in connection with the case, and it was only due to pressure from the BJP that they were called for a investigation. .
The ED is carrying out searches in four states, including the premises of a former minister in the Siddaramaiah government, B Nagendra, and ruling Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal, who is president of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, they said. official sources. .
The agency covered around 20 locations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and one more state as part of a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said.
"Let ED do their job, we will not interfere in that. Let them do their job according to the law, let them do what they have to do," Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question about the raids.
The issue of illegal money transfers, involving the Corporation, came to the fore after its superintendent of accounts, Chandrasekharan P., committed suicide on May 26.
He left a note claiming unauthorized transfer of Rs 187 million belonging to the Corporation from his bank account; Thereafter, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally transferred to various accounts purportedly belonging to "known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, among others.
Chandrasekharan named the Corporation's now suspended managing director J. G. Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram G. Durugannavar and Union Bank of India chief manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while stating that the "Minister" had issued oral orders to transfer the funds.
Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Nagendra, who was the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister, tendered his resignation on June 6.
The state government has constituted an SIT headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Crimes, in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to carry out the investigation.
The SIT questioned Nagendra and Daddal on Tuesday in connection with the case.
Mumbai-based Union Bank of India also filed a complaint with the CBI in connection with misappropriation of money belonging to the corporation in connection with its MG Road branch, following which the premier investigating agency launched a probe.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra said that based on the Union Bank of India's letter, the CBI has registered an FIR and now the ED is also conducting raids in connection with the case. "We welcome the ED raids in Nagendra and Daddal."
"This is probably a huge corruption scam unheard of in the history of the state. The money kept for the ST communities has been misappropriated and diverted to other states for the elections there and for the Lok Sabha elections," he alleged.
Vijayendra further said that until a couple of days ago the SIT, which was constituted by the state government, did not even bother to notify Nagendra and Daddal in connection with the case, and it was only due to pressure from the BJP that they were called for a investigation. .
