Kiran-Botcha ‘tussle' gets a new twist

                                                                 

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) came out with a press release on Saturday giving details of the fraud committed in auction of liquor shops in Vizianagaram district from where Minister for Transport Botcha Satyanarayana hails.

They had accomplished their object of gaining control over more than 50 per cent shops in the district with active assistance and collusion of officials' right from the stage of auction and through all these months of running business.

Financial investigation was in progress to unravel the flow of money, the press release said.

Interestingly, the ACB said that investigation so far revealed that these were not ordinary cases of corruption, but several ingredients of organised crime observed. Hence, the ACB is determined to act against all those involved in these cases.

It is committed to take action against any one against whom adequate evidence had been gathered and would never act under duress.

The ACB release gives a new twist to the ongoing tussle between Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Mr. Satyanarayana as the latter has been complaining that attempts are being made to fix him in the liquor scam. He has indirectly accused the Chief Minister of encouraging the ACB officials to malign him.

Two days ago, an ACB Inspector of Police, Vizianagaram, sent a legal notice to the Additional Director, ACB, K. Srinivasa Reddy, alleging that he was forced by the senior official to name Mr. Satyanarayana in the liquor scam. The PCC chief is in New Delhi ostensibly to meet the central leadership and apprise them about the developments.

Issued by the ACB DG, the press release said a case pertaining to the fraud had been registered in Vizianagaram on March 27 after verification of records.

The DG said 103 out of the 202 licence holders in Vizianagaram possessed white ration cards, three cards issued under Antyodaya scheme, and another nine temporary ration card-holders. Among them, 33 licence-holders were working as petty employees/casual labourers/employees in the wine shops, which they were supposed to own.

Several wine shops bearing similar trade names indicated that they were controlled by one or more groups of persons or syndicates.