Goa sacks JICA project director

The Goa government has sacked JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) water project director A.M. Wachasundar based on the preliminary inquiry report of the Crime Branch of the State police in the Louis Berger bribery scandal that came to light barely a week ago.

“The action has been taken to ensure a free and fair probe in the case. The investigation is still in progress,” Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said on Saturday.

The U.S.-based consultancy company Louis Berger has admitted to a New Jersey court to having bribed Indian officials, including a Goa Minister to win a consultancy water project in the State under the Japanese funding initiative.