After Artha Tatwa (AT) Group chief Pradeep Sethy told the CBI that an advertising agency founded by an Odia daily owner Bikash Swain had taken Rs 1.8 crore from his company, the truth behind the Ad agency investment and its link with politicians is gradually coming to the fore.
According to sources, the advertising agency, Theme Creatives, had taken Rs 1.8 crore from the AT Group. Swain was its founder director and Pradeepta Jena was its managing director. Both of them resigned from the company last year. One D Satpathy and R Barada, wife of Swain, joined the company as new directors.
Even agency’s branch head Hitesh Kumar admitted that they had business relation with the AT Group. “We have done their works and received the money through release orders,” Kumar added.
The CBI has already interrogated Sethy and his accountant Srikrushna Padhi regarding the business deal with Swain and others. The Central agency also quizzed the newspaper owner about the Ad agency through which he had received money.
Sources said the CBI is investigating the political angle in the Ad agency chapter. It is also checking the media reports regarding the Ad agency’s relation with two young Ministers and two MlAs of the ruling party. It was alleged that some political party leaders had released advertisements to the media during PRI and other elections through the Ad agency.
Though the three main political parties clarified that they had not released any advertisement to the agency, the CBI is probing the claims, said the sources.