Bribery case: Ex-Goa minister Churchill Alemao appears before Crime branch

Panaji: Former Goa Public Works Minister Churchill Alemao on Tuesday appeared before Crime branch sleuths here for questioning in connection with the bribery case involving US management consultancy firm Louis Berger.

Alemao was the PWD minister in 2010 in the Congress government headed by Digambar Kamat when the company officials allegedly doled out bribes to win the consultancy for a Japan-funded water augmentation and sewerage project in Goa.

Responding to summons issued last evening, Alemao reached the Crime branch office at Ribandar near here at 11.30 AM. The summons were issued to him soon after the arrest of A Wachasunder, a former principal chief engineer of PWD who headed the project executed under JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency).

Wachasunder was arrested yesterday under section 120 (B) of Indian Penal Code (for conspiracy) and also charged him under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Officials of New Jersey-based Louis Berger, in a submission before a US court, had admitted paying bribe to an Indian 'minister' to win consultancy for the line laying project in Goa and Guwahati.

The Rs 1031-crore project was approved when the Congress government headed by Digambar Kamat was in power, for augmenting the water supply in south Goa and laying sewerage lines in state's major cities. Earlier, Alemao told reporters that he would cooperate with the investigating officers.