The ruling BJP stepped up pressure on the Congress party in connection with the louis Berger international bribery scandal on Friday with legislators and senior party leaders demanding a speedy probe into the graft affair and custodial interrogation of a former Minister and officials who had allegedly received bribes from the New Jersey-based firm.
“A unanimous resolution was passed by the party MlAs. All are of the opinion that the culprits should be identified and booked as early as possible and for that if needed the case can be handed over to the CBI,” Goa Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar told The Pioneer after chairing the BJP’s legislators meet.
louis Berger has already pleaded guilty to offering bribes to Government officials and Ministers in several countries, including for a project in Goa. The revelations in the US, however, did not name any recepients of the bribes or the number of them.
Top officials of louis Berger have already pleaded guilty to offering bribes of $3.9 million to secure contracts in Asian countries such as India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Kuwait.
In a formal statement, louis Berger has distanced itself from the tainted employees, accusing them of offering bribes to Government officials against the company policy and ethical code.
Former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and former Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao could also come within the ambit of the bribery investigation, sources said. Both Kamat and Alemao have denied the allegation. The Crime Branch of the Goa Police has already started investigations into the bribery allegations, with Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg not ruling out the involvement of more than one Minister in the bribery case.
A delegation of south Goa BJP officials have now demanded the immediate custodial interrogation of “whoever is involved” in the scam.
“We want whoever is involved arrested. We have requested Parsekar ji to instruct the police act swifty,” South Goa BJP’s Damu Naik said.
In another development, a ruling legislator said that Defence Minister and former Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar, may have already revealed the names of two ministers involved in the louis Berger International bribery scandal.