Goa CM to demand CBI probe into minister's bribe charge

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Saturday said he will demand a CBI probe into revelations made by the US Justice Department that a minister and officials were paid bribes by a consultancy firm to secure a water distribution project.

Speaking at a Bharatiya Janata Party workers meeting in Curchorem village, 45 km from Panaji, Parsekar said: "I will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the allegations."

Media reports on Saturday quoted US Justice Department documents as saying that an international consultancy firm allegedly offered a bribe of $976,630 to a minister and government officials in 2010 to secure a five-year Goa Water Supply and Sewerage Project.

The consultancy firm, two of whose officials have pleaded guilty to having paid the bribe, was part of an international consortium which made the bid for the project.