US bribery case: Kamat denies involvement of ex-ministers

Former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who headed the Congress government in the state during the alleged bribery case involving a US firm in 2009, has denied intervention of any of his ministers in clearing the project in question.
"All the tenders for the JAICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) project were issued as per central public works department norms. There is no intervention of any minister in it," Kamat told PTI today.
He said the role of any state department comes to the fore only while deciding estimates for the tender.
"Once estimates are drawn there is no possibility of any minister interfering in it," he said.

Kamat said a consortium from Japan was the lowest bidder for this project for reviving the water and sewerage system in the state.
"Anyone can allege that he paid money to the minister but there should be proper base to support it," he said.

Union Defence Minister and former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar has hinted at the involvement of two ex-ministers in the alleged bribery case involving New Jersey-based construction management firm Louis Berger over a water developmental scheme in the state.
Parrikar said yesterday that as the work related to Japan International funding project, then PWD minister might be involved and considering the financial approval for the project there was likelihood of one more minister's involvement.

The firm has been charged with bribing Indian officials to win two major water development projects in Goa and Guwahati.
Chief Minister Parsekar has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged pay off, saying the Goa police would not be able to unearth the details since it is an international matter.
He also said when the contracts were awarded, Congress leader Digambar Kamat was the chief minister and Churchill Alemao the in-charge of the Public Works Department.
The bribery of USD 976,630 for the project by Louis Berger included payments to a minister, details of which have not been disclosed by the US Department of Justice.