HYDERABAD: With Governor Jishnu Dev Varma giving his nod for the registration of a case against former minister KT Rama Rao under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the Formula-E race case, political circles have gone into overdrive, with the big question being asked: “What next?”
Sources in the state government and Secretariat say that the file approved by the Governor reached the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) office on Monday evening, paving the way for the agency to proceed as per the law. ACB sources disclosed that the agency director held discussions with senior officers to decide the next course of action. In all likelihood, the ACB director may order a team led by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police to investigate the case.
The sources said Rama Rao is likely to be named Accused-1 (A-1), and IAS officer Arvind Kumar as A-2. The agency will brief the ACB special court about the FIR, they added.
The sources pointed out that since Rama Rao was receiving a salary as a minister, he falls under the “Public Servant” category, and hence, appropriate sections will be invoked against him.
KCR and former CS may also face probe
Once the FIR is registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Rama Rao and others, the agency will issue notices summoning them for examination. The agency will investigate whether funds were transferred to a foreign company and will also look into whether there was Cabinet approval for the transaction. The sources maintained that the agency will determine if funds were transferred out of India without the approval of the RBI.
Highly placed sources in the ACB indicated that they are preparing to issue notices to Rama Rao, requiring him to appear before the agency by the end of the week, likely on December 21. The sources also said that Arvind Kumar’s reply will be a key factor in the investigation.
Meanwhile, insiders revealed that after the agency’s initial inquiry, the progress of the investigation will be discussed with legal experts regarding the role of the then-chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the then-chief secretary Somesh Kumar in the Formula-E race funds transfer.
Agency officials stated that, technically, KCR and the former CS can face investigation.