CBI files charge sheet against A Raja in disproportionate assets case

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against DMK leader A Raja for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 5.53 crore during his tenure as Union minister, officials said.

In its charge sheet filed before a Special CBI court in Chennai, the agency has alleged that a close associate of Raja, C Krishnamurthy, had set up a company Kovai Shelters Promoters in January, 2007 in which a payment of Rs 4.56 crore was received in February that year from a Gurugram-based real estate company as commission for purchase of land in Kanchipuram, they said.

It is alleged that the payment was not for the land deal but a quid pro quo for giving the real estate firm the status of an infrastructure company by Raja during his tenure as Union minister, they said.

In the charge sheet filed in August this year, the CBI has alleged that the company had not "undertaken any other real estate activity" other than the purported land deal for the real estate firm.

The company had later bought agricultural land in Coimbatore.

The agency has alleged that that as minister Raja had garnered assets worth Rs 5.53 crore, including the payment of Rs 4.56 crore to the company in which Raja's close relatives were directors, which he could not satisfactorily account for, they said.

The CBI has alleged assets in question were disproportionate to the tune of 579 per cent from his known sources of income, they said.

The agency had registered the case in 2015 against Raja and 16 others, including his nephew Parmesh, wife Parameswari, his associate Krishnamurthy who is also director of Kovai Shelters Pvt Limited, wife of Sadiq Basha, an alleged associate of Raja who had committed suicide, and Reha Banu, a director in Greenhouse Promoters which was earlier owned by Basha among others.

The CBI had booked Raja, former Telecom Minister, in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case as well but he was acquitted by a special court as the agency failed to prove any charges of corruption against him.