Former Union Minister A. Raja on Saturday described the FIR filed against him and his family members by the Chennai branch of the CBI as “legally flawed and inconsistent with the investigations carried out by the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income-Tax department.”
He told reporters that the investigating officer of the CBI, Vivek Priyadarshi, had confirmed his testimony to the Special Judge, on November 13, 2013, that “there is no case of disproportionate assets against accused A. Raja.”
Mr. Raja said one of the documents seized by the CBI during the raid on August 19 at his Delhi residence was the copy of the complaint registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and it looked as if the right hand of the Central government agency did not know what the left hand was doing.
He also released to the media a copy of a letter he had written to the Superintendent of Police, CBI, in which he had expressed his “shock and outrage over the FIR.”
“This is simply harassment for reasons that you are well aware of and it is not justifiable in law,” he said in his letter.
Recalling the order of the Supreme Court directing all the three agencies -- the CBI, ED and Income Tax -- to coordinate their investigation and share information with one another, Mr. Raja said it had been confirmed by the investigating officers of both the CBI and the ED in their testimony before the Special Judge, Patiala House Court, New Delhi. “The agencies have complied with the Supreme Court order and shared information with one another,” he said.
Mr. Raja said the three agencies summoned all financial documents, records, details of movable and immovable properties and jewellery belonging to him, his family members and family friends for the period between 2004 and 2010. “My residential premises and those of my family members were also thoroughly searched in 2010 itself,” he said.
Questioning the need for “a reinvestigation of the same matter for the same period again by another branch of the same investigating agency without even applying its mind to the detailed scrutiny already done” he urged the Chennai CBI to obey the order of the Supreme Court and issue necessary directions to close the FIR.
Asked whether there was a motive behind the search and the filing of FIR, Mr. Raja said, “I leave it to your conclusion.” DMK leader M. Karunanidhi said DMK ministers in the UPA government were being targeted for political reasons.
Probe agency not applying mind, he charges
