Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's brother held in Bosnia
Sarajevo: Indian industrialist Pramod Mittal, the younger brother of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, was arrested Wednesday in Bosnia for suspected fraud and "abuse of power", a prosecutor said.
The case is related to the running of a coking plant in the northeastern town of Lukavac, which Pramod Mittal has co-managed since 2003. It has a 1,000 employees.
"Police, who acted upon the order of the prosecutor, arrested the president of the supervisory board of GIKIL, Pramod Mittal," prosecutor Cazim Serhatlic told reporters.
GIKIL was founded in 2003 and is co-managed by Pramod Mittal's Global Steel Holdings and a local public company (KHK). The coking plant in Lukavac employs a thousand people.
Two other company officials -- general manager Paramesh Bhattacharyya and another member of the supervisory board -- were also arrested.
They are suspected of "organised crime, notably the abuse of power and economic crimes," the prosecutor said. Serhatlic said that if found guilty the suspects could get jail sentences of up to 45 years.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a fourth man "considered to be a member of this organised criminal group with Pramod Mittal on top".
The suspects will appear before a judge on Wednesday.
According to the Zurnal.info website which covers organised crime, the suspects were believed to have embezzled "at least five million marks" (2.5 million euros, USD 2.8 million).
Lakshmi Mital, the CEO of global steel giant ArcelorMittal, has bailed out his cash-strapped brother Pramod in India. Pramod Mittal owns several companies in the Balkans.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
