BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday sought remand of Artha Tatwa Group chief Pradeep Sethy, the firm's former director Jagabandhu Panda delivered a shocker by alleging that Commissionerate Police (CP) had botched up the probe before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case.
Panda, whose remand ended on Wednesday, trained his gun on investigating officer (IO) of the Commissionerate Police saying that the cop should be brought under the scope of CBI investigation for the purpose.
Without naming the IO, Panda said there were gaping holes in the probe by the Commissionerate Police since it did nothing to bring many directors of the AT Group under the scope of investigation or even arrest them. There were about 20 other founder directors of the company who were left out of the probe and their assets, out of attachment process, he alleged.
The former director of AT Group claimed that it was Sethy who remote controlled the probe into the group's bungling, not the IO. "Pradeep Sethy was the real investigator in the scam, not the IO as the latter was taking orders from him," he told mediapersons outside Capital Hospital where he underwent the routine medical examination before being produced at the Special CJM (CBI) Court.
Panda asserted that the Commissionerate Police was getting favours from AT Group directors as long as it was conducting the probe, before the CBI took over.
He demanded that the original IO should be grilled by the Central probe agency so that truth is revealed and assets of other directors confiscated which he said could be used to repay the investors.
While the CBI has submitted chargesheet against 16 persons in the AT Group scam on December 11, the Commissionerate Police had chargesheeted seven. The police had attached `410 crore worth of assets belonging to AT Group and its top executives.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate's plea for remand of Sethy was admitted by the Court of District and Sessions Judge, Khurda here on Wednesday. Sethy, who is currently in judicial custody after remaining in remand of the CBI, would be produced before the court on December 6 when the second petition for remand would be submitted.Sources said the ED is likely to seek 15-day custody of the AT Group chief.
