US bribery case: Kamat moves Goa court for anticipatory bail

Fearing arrest in the bribery case involving US firm Louis Berger, former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has moved a local court for anticipatory bail.

Kamat, who has been questioned by the Crime Branch twice in the pay-off scandal, moved the bail application yesterday before District and Sessions Court.

The 61-year-old Congress leader was heading the state between 2007-2012 when the New Jersey-based consultancy firm allegedly paid the bribes.

Former Public Works Department minister Churchill Alemao was also grilled by the Crime Branch in connection with the case last week.

Yesterday, former Goa director of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Anand Wachasunder, who is currently in police custody withdrew his bail petition from the district court here without citing any reasons.

Officials of Louis Berger had admitted in the US court that they had paid bribe to an Indian minister to win consultancy contract for water augmentation and sewerage pipeline project under JICA in Goa in 2010 (when Congress was in power).

The alleged bribery scam of $976,630 for the project included kickbacks to a minister, the details of which have not been disclosed by the US Department of Justice.

All the tenders for the JICA project, of which Louis Berger was the consultant were issued as per Central Public Works Department prescribed norms.

On August 3, former Louis Berger Vice-President Satyakam Mohanty was arrested in connection with the pay-off scandal involving the New Jersey-based consultancy firm. A local court later remanded him in three-day police custody.