The Anti-Corruption Bureau will seek extension of judicial remand of Telugu Desam MLA A. Revanth Reddy in the cash-for-vote scam by a fortnight when he is produced in the court for ACB cases here at the end of the initial spell of his remand on Monday.
The ACB officials said they will file a memo in the court on Monday praying for extension of remand of Mr. Reddy and two others arrested with him as the investigation in the case was not completed. They were picked up by the agency on May 31 on a complaint by nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson that he was offered a bribe to vote for the TDP candidate in the elections to the Legislative Council from Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, Mr. Stephenson will make a voluntary confession of the entire episode under Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code before the Third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Nampally courts complex in the next three days. His daughter Jessica who served water to Mr. Reddy when the latter came with the moneybag and a friend of Mr. Stephenson who mediated the deal will also depose before the magistrate, sources said.
The confession statements will be sent to the ACB court in a sealed cover and they will be corroborated with further evidence in the course of the trial.
The ACB officials are awaiting reports from Forensic Science Laboratory on phone contact and conversation between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Stephenson to proceed with the case. After the FSL submitted the reports to the ACB court, the investigating agency will apply for their copies and build expert evidence in the form of corroborating sample voice of Mr. Naidu spoken anywhere else with that of his real time voice on the phone. Sources added that the FSL reports which were expected in less than a week will speed up investigation. ACB Director General A.K. Khan told The Hindu that the work will go on continuously but did not predict how long it will take.
ACB awaiting reports from FSL on phone contact and conversation between Naidu and Stephenson
