Louis Berger case: Charge sheet indicts Alemao, names Digambar Kamat as suspect

Panaji: The Goa police on Monday filed a charge sheet in the Louis Berger bribery case, naming former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao and five others as accused and the former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat as a suspect. Alemao and others have been charged with criminal conspiracy and offences under Prevention of Corruption Act.

Louis Berger, a US-based firm, had revealed to the US authorities earlier this year that it had paid bribes to some persons in Goa government in 2010 to get a consultancy contract for a water and sewerage project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Other accused named in the charge sheet, filed before a special ACB court in Panaji, are director of the project Anand Wachasunder, former Louis Berger officials James McClung and Satyakam Mahanty and two others -- Raichand Soni and Arthur D'silva. Louis Berger Group Inc too has been made an accused.

Goa police had questioned Congress leader Digambar Kamat who was the Chief Minister at the relevant time. A supplementary charge sheet would be filed against Kamat later, a senior crime branch officer said today.

"Digambar Kamat has been shown in column 12 of the charge sheet as a 'suspect' with the reasons why the charge sheet has not been filed against him as of now," the officer said.

"The supplementary charge sheet will have Kamat's name in it as an accused," the official said, requesting anonymity. Alemao is currently in jail.

A local court has granted anticipatory bail to Kamat, which has been challenged in the High Court.