The Telugu Desam Party leadership here has come out in defence of its Mayor Abdul Aziz in the wake of a cheating case filed by a Chennai-based company named Prasad Gempex in the Central Crime Branch, Chennai, recently.
The party leaders examined the records and bank transactions pertaining to the Star Agro company related to the Mayor and Gempex.
“We have taken a look at the issue closely and there is no proof of the Mayor resorting to any illegal activity. In all this, the company related to the Mayor has suffered greater losses,” said TDP district president Beeda Ravichandra.
He further said that the case filed in Chennai was not proper and the immediate priority should be to pay the dues of aqua farmers who had supplied prawn.
‘No illegal deals’
Mr. Aziz said he was never involved in illegal transactions during the course of his aqua business in the last 25 years and that the present case was aimed at causing damage to his political career in Nellore district.
As per the details provided by the TDP leaders here, the Chennai company transferred through bank nearly ₹3.98 crore towards rent to Star Agro and they had also paid ₹6.4 crore to aqua farmers. However, cheques given to farmers in several other instances were stated to have been dishonoured.
The TDP leaders said that the whole issue should have been looked at from a business dispute angle, rather than something that should be made into a controversy in the media.
