Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday submitted its report in the Formula E race case to the state government and sought sanction to prosecute former minister and BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao, senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and others.
After nine months of probe into the alleged irregularities in hosting the Formula E race in Hyderabad during the previous BRS regime, the ACB submitted its report to the government.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has been accused of receiving Rs 44 crore in the form of electoral bond from sponsorship company as a quid pro quo for granting it rights to organise the race.
The ACB in December last year booked a case against K.T. Rama Rao (KTR), former Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD), Arvind Kumar and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority's (HMDA) former Chief Engineer B.L.N. Reddy for alleged Rs 54.88 crore irregularities in the Formula-E deal.
The FIR was registered on a complaint by Principal Secretary, MA&UD, M. Dana Kishore, who stated that foreign remittances were made without prior approval of the relevant regulatory authorities, which resulted in additional tax burden to HMDA to the tune of Rs 8.06 crore.
The complainant also alleged that the payment was made while the Model Code of Conduct was in effect for the elections to the state Assembly without any prior approval of the Election Commission. The FIR was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act as well as under the Indian Penal Code's (IPC) Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The ACB questioned KTR, Arvind Kumar and B.L.N. Reddy multiple times in the case. Before his second appearance on June 16, KTR had expressed the apprehension that he might be arrested.
Meanwhile, reacting to Tuesday’s development, KTR reiterated that the Formula-E case was nothing but a “bogus case.”
He once again challenged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to face a lie-detector test with him.
The former minister said he had made every effort to bring the Formula E race to Hyderabad. He admitted that it was he who had directed the release of Rs 46 crore from the government, but clarified that the funds had been deposited directly into the designated account. “Not a single rupee has been misused. Every rupee is accounted for. Where is, then, the corruption?” he asked.
The BRS leader asserted that even if prosecution proceeded or charge-sheets were filed, nothing would stand.
KTR said BRS would continue to fight on the promises and guarantees given by the Congress party. He even challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to appear with him on live television and face a lie detector test.
“Let the people decide who is telling the truth,” he said, while reminding that the public had not forgotten the episode when Revanth Reddy was once caught on camera with bundles of Rs 50 lakh currency notes.
Accusing the government of trying to divert attention from real public issues by raking up the Formula-E case, KTR asserted that BRS would not be distracted. “We will continue to question the government on people’s issues,” he declared.
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