Kerala politician Thushar Vellapally claims clean chit by UAE court in cheque default case
Dubai: Thushar Vellapally, President of a coalition partner of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, who was arrested last month in the UAE in connection with a Rs 19 crore cheque default case, has been cleared of all charges in the case by a UAE court, the leader himself said here on Sunday.
Vellaally, who unsuccessfully contested as the NDA candidate against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 general elections from Wayanad, was arrested on August 20 at a hotel in Ajman in connection with Rs 19 crore cheque default case.
He was released on bail by Ajman Public Prosecution, but was not allowed to travel to India without clearing a civil case.
On Sunday, Vellapally, chief of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena which is a partner of the BJP-led NDA in the state, told media here that he has been cleared of all charges by a court in Ajman. He called it the victory of justice . The Ajman court in the UAE quashed the criminal proceedings against him citing lack of evidence, the party sources said.
The court has said the evidence submitted by the complainant in the case, N Abdullah who worked for Vellapally-owned Boeing Construction Company LLC that is now defunct, lacks credibility and raised doubts on the veracity of the documents filed.
The arrest was based on a complaint from Abdullah, a Thrissur native in 2009, when Vellapally was running a construction business in Ajman.
He alleged that Vellapally had issued a cheque of Dh 10 million (around Rs 19 crore) ten years ago that had bounced. The court has also agreed to release the passport of Vellappally, which it had withheld after the case was registered, the party sources said.
He is expected to remain in the UAE for a couple of days to meet the complainant in the case.
The BJP in Kerala on Sunday welcomed the quashing of a cheque bounce case against the NDA state convener, terming his release as the "victory of truth".
"This is the victory of truth. It's highly deplorable, the tendency to trap the politicians in fake cases and tarnish their image," BJP state chief P S Sreedharan Pillai said in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram.
Vellapally is also the Vice President of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a prominent organisation of the backward Ezhava community in Kerala.
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Brazil's Ancelotti raises doubts about whether Neymar will reach the 2026 World Cup
Sao Paulo (AP): Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti raised doubts about whether Neymar will be in his squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Italian has yet to pick the former captain since he took over in May.
“If Neymar deserves to be (in the squad), if he is, well, better than others, he will play in the World Cup and that's it. (But) I don't have debts to anyone,” Ancelotti said at a press conference in Washington on Friday following the draw.
Brazil is in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
“If we speak about Neymar, we have to speak about other players,” Ancelotti added. “We have to think about Brazil with or without Neymar, with or without other players. Our final list we will make after the FIFA fixtures in March.”
The 33-year-old Neymar has never fully recovered from a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. But he's been key for Santos in its fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship.
On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for Santos despite a muscular injury. He is expected to play again on Sunday against Cruzeiro.
Ancelotti said Brazil does not have a “referential player” at the moment, a tag for the most valuable player that Neymar has mainly worn since the 2014 home World Cup.
“We have one of the world's best goalkeepers, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Asked about his team's group, Ancelotti said Brazil can top it.
“We can win all three matches, our idea is very clear. We need to be competitive during the entire World Cup. Our goal is to play in the final and for that to happen you need to face very strong teams anyway.”
Brazil won the last of its five World Cup trophies in 2002.
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