Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday dismissed the allegations of political interference in the Louis Berger bribery case in which former Public Welfare Department (PWD) minister Churchill Alemao was arrested on Wednesday night.
66-year-old Alemao, who is the only politician arrested in the case, has termed his arrest as a “politically motivated” one.
The police are doing their job independently. There is no political interference in that. We have given free hand to them to investigate this case. No one would be spared. The police are doing a good job.
— Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister, Goa in Goa Assembly
The Crime Branch had quizzed Alemao twice last week, besides former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who was in office between 2007 and 2012.
The Crime Branch had earlier arrested former Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) director for Goa, Anand Wachasunder and former Vice President of Louis Berger, Satyakam Mohanty in connection with the case.
I am happy. They have arrested me. This is a political game. I have not done anything wrong.
— Churchill Alemao, Former PWD Minister, Goa
The scandal involves the New Jersey-based consultancy firm allegedly doling out bribes to a Goa minister to win the consultancy for a water project under the JICA funding.
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