Newly appointed Goa Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar on Saturday inducted two more Ministers in the Cabinet but had to almost immediately defend his choice, given that among the two who were sworn in — Mickky Pacheco, has a history of serious criminal cases against him.
Pacheco, a Goa Vikas Party MlA, has been booked for 10 offences in the last 15 years. Some of the offences range from bigamy to extortion to assaulting Government servants twice, to money laundering etc.“People have voted for Mickky, despite the allegations and the things he is alleged to have done. In this term, I don’t think there is any accusation. People have elected him, therefore, it is my responsibility to use someone the people have elected,” Parsekar defending the Minister.
Right from the early 2000s Pacheco, then a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator has been booked for a wide range of offences and has also been raided by the Income tax officials and has outstanding dues to Government-run corporations running into crores of Rupees.Opposition parties, however, had not hid their ire at the apparent ‘double speak’ of the BJP-led Government.
“Inducting convicted MlAs into the cabinet shows bankruptcy of this government. The BJP government has become bankrupt, especially when it comes to living up to the BJP’s own ideal and vision of ‘good governance’,” Congress secretary Durgadas Kamat told The Pioneer. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Trajano D’Mello says that it’s a matter of shame that someone with such an “established criminal record” will now replace Parrikar, now a defence minister.
Pacheco has repeatedly and regularity run into trouble.50-year-old Pacheco has been booked for bigamy by his wife Sara Pacheco and is being tried on the basis of her complaint in 2010 under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 at a trial court in Margao.Pacheco defended himself saying that he was never remarried. “You prove that I am married twice and I will step down from ministry. I am married only once, to Sara. I can have as many women as I want,” Pacheco then told a press conference.
In 2002, Mickky was booked for road rage, when he assaulted a driver of a state corporation bus. In 2009, a traffic police constable complained to the local police that then minister had abused and threatened him, when he was on duty in Margao, a town in south Goa 35 kms from here.Again in 2009, the management of Treasures, a land-based casino accused Pacheco of extorting several lakh rupees. He was also caught on camera throwing thick wads of money on the casino’s gaming table before eventually assaulting one of the casino dealers.
In 2010, Pacheco was also booked for abetment to suicide of his ‘friend’ Nadia Torrado.
In 2010, Pacheco was also being probed by the US government for allegedly running an immigration and money laundering racket. The Central Bureau of Investigation had summoned Pacheco, then an NCP legislator for questioning, after the union ministry for external affairs, on a request from the US State department, asked the agency to question Pacheco in a preliminary enquiry.
later defending himself, Pacheco claimed that candidates he recruited for jobs abroad used to sent money back home to their families via his bank account, which had caused the confusion. “I have bank statements. It is all in the open,” Pacheco had said, claiming he would resign from office if the allegations were proven true.
But the criminal case which is proving to be a bane for Pacheco, a former NCP legislator, is the assault on a junior engineer attached to the State Electricity Department in 2006, which got him a conviction and six months imprisonment sentence.The conviction was later upheld by an appellate court and subsequently by the Bombay High Court bench in Goa, before in July this year, the Supreme Court granted him relief by staying the conviction.
Pacheco also has a history of not paying back his loans. Companies he owns owe dues to the State government run Economic Development Corporation, have not been paid back running into crore. These have been pointed out by the CAG report.Pacheco said that the complaints were “basically allegations”.
“Anybody can write FIR against you also. Person who walks on the street. If the person goes and complains that you slapped on him then also an FIR can be filed,” Pacheco said.When asked for comment on how he feels now that a tainted minister has replaced his vacancy in the cabinet the Defence Minister said: “You ask chief minister, no comment on the cabinet”.