Karnataka govt suspends two officials of Valmiki Corporation in illegal money transfer case
Bengaluru, May 29: The State government on Wednesday suspended the Managing Director and an official of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd over allegations of an illegal money transfer.
The unauthorised transfer of Rs 88.62 crore from the corporation’s bank account came to light after an Accounts Superintendent of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide on Sunday evening, leaving behind a note.
He has named the corporation's Managing Director J G Padmanabh, Accounts Officer Parashuram G Durugannavar and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stating that minister in charge had issued oral orders for transferring the funds.
The opposition BJP has demanded the resignation of Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, following the allegations.
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Padmanabh and Durgannanavar have been suspended as they allegedly overlooked the creation of a new bank account that facilitated unauthorised transfer of funds.
They have been suspended pending inquiry on charges of dereliction of duty, negligence and violation of financial rules, their suspension orders said.
According to the government, the corporation had its savings bank account in the Vasanth Nagar branch of the Union Bank of India, but another account was opened in the MG Road branch of the bank without authorisation, and funds to the tune of Rs 187 crore was moved to the new account "illegally".
Further stating that between March 5 and 23, Rs 88.62 crore was withdrawn from the MG Road branch account by anonymous persons, the suspension orders of both officials said that they did not act on it and held them responsible.
Pointing out that the money was moved to 14 "anonymous accounts" using "forged" cheques and RTGS letters, and an unknown number was entered instead of the registered mobile number for this purpose, the government said that it was also ensured that the intimation of the transaction did not reach the corporation’s registered email address.
It was found that through 14 "virtual accounts", money went to accounts in the name of well-known IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, the government said, adding, "These accounts were frozen and Rs 5 crore was returned to the corporation, and efforts are on to to ensure the return of the remaining amount."
Noting that Padmanabh, despite getting to know about the illegal transfer of money to 14 different bank accounts on May 22, submitted a report to the government only on May 27, a day after Chandrashekhar died by suicide leaving a note naming officials involved in the scam, the government said.
The report was submitted after it asked for it, following allegations, and the delay on his part in reporting the matter amounted to dereliction of duty, the government added.
Durgannanavar has been found to have failed in his duty in managing the bank accounts and financial transactions of the corporation, and in bringing it to the notice of higher officials, it added.
Following Padmanabh’s suspension, the government has given additional charge to ST Welfare Department’s Joint Director K R Rajkumar as the Managing Director of the Corporation, official sources said.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that a CID probe is on and the truth will be known from the probe.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
