Putting an end to the investigations in the multi crore Adarsh society scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its second supplementary chargesheet in the benami case against two more society members and four financers. In March the agency had filed their first supplementary charge-sheet against 46 people including 22 members and 24 financers.
The second supplementary chargesheet was filed before the Special CBI court on June 19th against two society members- former MLA Mukundrao Mankar and late Lieutenant Commander Chunnilal and four financers including directors- Sanjay Kondawar and Gopal Kondawar of a Nagpur based company- Landscapers Realtors Pvt Ltd (LRPL).
“Landscape Realtors, the company that gave a loan of Rs 62 lakhs to Mr. Mankar, was a shell company floated by the directors to finance their benami flat in Adarsh. The complex web of shell companies were floated to financé the benami flat,” the chargesheet stated.
Interestingly, the address of one of the shell companies that allegedly invested in Landscape Realtors is that of the corporate office of the Nagpur Institute of Technology (NIT), an educational institute whose chairman is state food and civil supplies minister, Mr. Anil Deshmukh. However the CBI has found no links of the minister's involvement in the case.
With the filing of the second supplementary chargesheet, the CBI has closed its case against the benami investments in the scam riddled society. This means according to the agency, all the other flats are not benami investments. This includes the two flats that belonged to the relatives of the former Maharashtra chief minister Mr. Ashok Chavan. Mr. Chavan resigned from the CM’s post in November 2010 after the scam broke. Chavan's mother-in-law Bhagvati Sharma, sister-in-law Seema Sharma and father-in-law’s brother Madanlal Sharma have flats in the society. The relatives had returned their flats to the society after the scam broke.
“The loan availed from a Pune based builder was returned by Ms. Bhagvati Sharma and Mandanlal Sharma’s family members within a few years of the purchase of the flats,” the chargesheet said.
The CBI is now in the process of preparing a Self Content Note (SCN) that will be submitted to the chief secretary of Maharashtra on the 27 flats whose owners are found to be ineligible by the agency. This includes the flats belonging to Indian diplomat Ms. Devyani Khobragade and former union power minister Suresh Prabhu. Even the Adarsh Commission of inquiry had found these 27 members ineligible.
“We will soon send a report to the Maharashtra government on our findings. The state can decide whether or not to withdraw their membership from the society. The government may direct the collector to probe and make recommendation on the same,” a senior CBI officer told The Hindu.
