The What and How of Goa’s Louis Berger Scam and Who’s in the Dock

Here’s all you need to know about the 1,031 crore scam that has put two top Goa Cong leaders in a tough spot.

There’s been yet another arrest in the 1,031-crore bribery scam that rocked Goa in July. Satyakam Mohanty, the former Vice President of US-based firm Louis Berger was taken into custody by the Goa crime branch on Monday.

Reports suggest that Mohanty who currently lives in Gurgaon, Haryana has been booked under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

So what is the scam about? Who are the accused and what is the status of the probe? Here are some of the answers.

The Confession That Broke the Scam

• In July 2015, Louis Berger officials admitt in a US court that they had paid bribes to top officials in several countries to win government projects.
• Between 1998 and 2010 the firm won several contracts in different parts of India including the one to monitor the implementation of the Goa Water Supply and Sewerage projects.
• The former senior Vice President of Louis Berger James McClung allegedly also admitted to bribing Indian government officials in 2010 to secure the contract.
• Documents reveal that Louis Berger officials paid a sum of $976,630 (about Rs 6.5 crore) to a Goan minister as bribe.
• In 2012-13, a CAG report pointed out that there were several flaws in the way the project was being executed by Louis Berger which is monitored by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 
• Goa government is now seeking a letter rogatory to secure that evidence. A letter rogatory is a formal request for judicial assistance from a foreign country which includes recording evidence on their soil.