Hyderabad: For the first time ever, the CBI on Monday carried out searches at the residence of its former chief Amar Pratap Singh after registering an FIR against him for allegedly favouring controversial meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi and industrialist Pradeep Koneru.
The searches were conducted in Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai including the Jubilee Hills office and residences of Mr Koneru, son of Dubai Prasad alias Koneru Rajendra Prasad. Mr Singh, a 1974 batch IPS officer, headed the agency between November 30, 2010 and November 30, 2012.
In the first information report issued by CBI Delhi on February 16 Qureshi of the AMQ group of companies, his employee Aditya Sharma, Pradeep Koneru of Trimex Group of Companies, Singh and other unknown public servants and persons were named as accused based on the complaint lodged by Enforcement Directorate assistant director Arun Kumar.
The main allegation is that Qureshi had helped several key politicians and business persons including Koneru’s family to get “relief in the cases investigated by the CBI and obtained huge amount of money for the work done”.
Pradeep Koneru’s family members, Koneru Rajendra Prasad and Koneru Madhu of the Trimex Group of Companies, were named in the Emaar case when Singh was the CBI chief.
Koneru ‘paid’ Qureshi to meet Singh
CBI investigations found that Mr Pradeep Koneru paid cores of rupees in instalments to Qureshi who in turn paid Mr Singh.
It is alleged that Mr Pradeep Koneru tried to prevent prosecution of certain bank officials and also paid money to Qureshi for meetings with Mr Singh.
A view of industrialist Pradeep Koneru’s home in Filmnagar, which was raided by the CBI on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Qureshi allegedly purchased huge properties outside the country including in Chesterfield House, London, Shekh Zyed Road and Burj Al Khalifa in Dubai, Sollo Building Apartment in New York, Suntech Tower Four in Singapore and Dinge House in London.
Most of the business operations of the Koneru family are based in Dubai. It is alleged that Qureshi used to send regular gifts to government servants.
The Enforcement Directorate on August 31, 2016, had written to the CBI stating that during the course of its investigation under FEMA against the AMQ Group and Qureshi, it was revealed that he served as a middleman for public servants.
It was alleged that the records collected from the income-tax department from 2011 to 2013 revealed that Qureshi collected “huge money from different persons for obtaining undue favours from public servants or politicians holding high public office”.
When contacted Mr Pradeep Koneru said, “I am not in India. I am out of the country. I will be coming to India in a couple of days. I don’t know anything about the CBI FIR.”
The CBI also alleged in the FIR that Qureshi through his company Indian Premier Services Private Limited applied for a concession agreement from the Delhi International Airport Limited for running lounge services at Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
As he required permission from government agencies for security clearances, he took help of top government officials. It was alleged that he took the help of Mr Singh for talking to GMR to give permission.
Some conversations have a reference to the facilitation of money changing hands. However permission was not granted due to observations made by the Intelligence Bureau.
