Taking the investigations in to cash-for-vote scandal forward Telagnana Anti Corruption Bureau on Wednesday questioned Telugu Desam party leader Vem Narendra Reddy. He was questioned for five hours at the Anti Corruption Bureau office in Hyderabad a day after ACB served notices to Vem Narendra Reddy and TDP MlA Sandra Venkat Veeraiah late last night.
Vem Narendra Reddy was the TDP candidate in the Telangana legislative Council and some TDP leaders had allegedly offered bribe to a nominated MlA Elvis Stephenson to vote for him.
later in the evening, Reddy was allowed to return home in view of his medical condition as he was suffering from heart ailment. Sources said that the ACB officials asked him to be available for further questioning at any time. “I have assured them my full cooperation and replied to all their questions”, he told the media while coming out of the ACB office.
Earlier, a senior TDP MlA A Revanth Reddy and his two associates were caught red-handed on May 31 with Rs50 lakh.
ACB was now looking for Sandra Venkat Veeraiah who represents Sattenapally assembly constituency in Khammam district. When a team of ACB officials visited his residence in Hyderabad last night he was not there and the team pasted the notice at his door.
The ACB had asked Vem Narendra Reddy to come along last night itself but he expressed inability saying he was a heart patient and doctors had advised compulsory rest during the night. Accepting his request that he will report on Wednesday morning the ACB officials returned.
The ACB questioned him on Wednesday from 11 am to 4 pm at his residence in New MlAs Quarters.
ACB says it has evidence that the TDP leaders had offered a bribe of Rs5 crore to Stephenson and Vem Narendra Reddy also had a hand in it. The ACB officials asked him about the source of Rs50 lakh recovered and whereabout of the remaining Rs4.5 crore.
There are speculations that the ACB was planning to serve notice to another 18 leaders of Telugu Desam, including two members of Parliament CM Ramesh and G Mohan Rao.
On serving notice to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, also a suspect in the case, ACB sources said that the steps only be taken only after receiving the report from the Forensic Science laboratory on the video and audio tapes sent for analysis.
Meanwhile the bail petition of Revanth Reddy and his two associates Sebastian and Uday Sinha came up for hearing in the Hyderabad High Court. The court issued a notice to the Anti Corruption Bureau to file its counter against the petition. The matter will come up for next hearing on June 24.
Revanth and two others are in Charalapally Jail under judicial custody till June 29.