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Naidu in trouble in cash-for-vote: Notices to Mathaiah!

Naidu in trouble in cash-for-vote: Notices to Mathaiah!

With GHMC elections over and ruling TRS recording landslide victory, the TRS government has brought the 'cash-for-vote' case back to the fore again to embarrass and trouble TDP, AP government and AP CM N.Chandrababu Naidu giving indications that the ‘bonhomie’ between Naidu and KCR, came to an end.

The Telangana Anti Corrupion Bureau issued notices to Jurusalem Mathaiah , one of the accused in the cash-for-vote scam to appear before it for investigation within a week. It assured that it will not arrest Mathaiah as per High Court directions.

The TS ACB took serious exception to the AP government giving shelter to Jerusalem Mathaiah.

The ACB said investigations had revealed that Mathaiah was a key abettor. Providing shelter to an absconding accused by a state is unknown and strange in a democratic and law abiding country like India, it said.

The ACB contended that propriety required the AP government to inform the investigating agency when it comes to know of the whereabouts of an absconding accused.

The ACB contended that examining Mathaiah was crucial to the investigations. The ACB asked Mathaiah to surrender before it and cooperate with the investigation.

It may be recalled that Mathaiah had made a dramatic appearance in Vijayawada on June 10, 2015, when he filed a complaint against TRS leaders accusing them of putting his life at risk.

He had also made a statement before the III Metropolitan Magistrate in Vijayawada detailing the circumstances under which he came to the city. Mr. Mathaiah has cases booked by Telangana ACB on him in Hyderabad for his alleged involvement in the cash-for-vote episode.

Mathaiah is Accused No.4 (A-4) in this sensational case in which ACB recorded phone conversations between AP CM Naidu and TRS MLC Stephenson offering Rs 5 crore bribe to vote for TDP candidate in MLC elections in June 2014. ACB officials went to Mathaiah’s residence in Uppal in Hyderabad and served notices.

The ACB has recorded the statements of 39 witnesses to file a 316-page chargesheet initially. The preliminary chargesheet was filed against  Revanth Reddy, Bishop Harry Sebastian, Revanth Reddy’s aide Uday Simha and Jerusalem Mattaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal conspiracy.

Though the ACB had mentioned the name of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu 22 times, to indicate that the other accused acted on his behest to bribe Anglo Indian nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson, the agency failed to gather more evidence against him other than the forensic report confirming the audio conversation between Stephenson and Naidu.

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