Vijayawada, July 20 (IANS) The preliminary chargesheet filed by SIT in the alleged Rs 3,500 crore liquor scam during the YSRCP regime in Andhra Pradesh has mentioned the name of former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as one of the recipients of kickbacks.

Though Jagan Mohan Reddy’s name figured in the 305-page chargesheet filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a court here on Saturday, he has not been named as an accused in the case.

The court has not yet taken cognisance of the chargesheet, which alleges that between 2019 and 2024, an average of Rs 50 to 60 crore was collected every month from distilleries and routed through a network of aides and shell companies.

Citing a witness, the chargesheet explained how the kickbacks were routed through various accused and transferred to the then Chief Minister.

Though the SIT has so far named 48 individuals and companies as accused, the chargesheet has named only 16. It conveyed to the court that another chargesheet will be filed in 20 days.

According to the chargesheet, the liquor policy was designed by the YSRCP government to exert full control over alcohol distribution, allowing accused officials to extract hefty commissions. The majority portion of such kickbacks was received in cash, gold or bullion.

The SIT claimed that kickbacks began at 12 per cent of the base price and were later increased to 20 per cent.

Raj Kesireddy alias Kesireddy Rajashekar Reddy, advisor to the then Chief Minister, who is the accused number one in the case, has been named the mastermind and co-conspirator. He allegedly manipulated excise policy, replaced automated Order for Supply (OFS) systems with manual ones, and placed loyal officials within the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL).

It was also alleged that Rajasekhar Reddy funnelled Rs 250-300 crore in cash to fund YSRCP’s election campaign, in collaboration with former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy. The proceeds of crime were reportedly laundered through over 30 shell companies and used to purchase land, gold, and luxury assets in Dubai and Africa.

The accused allegedly withheld OFS approvals from distilleries that resisted the demand for bribes.

The SIT informed the court that Rs 62 crore has been seized in the case so far. The SIT also examined 268 witnesses in the case.

The chargesheet was filed an hour before the arrest of YSRCP MP P. V. Midhun Reddy. The SIT arrested him after questioning him for nearly seven hours.

Midhun Reddy, who is the YSRCP floor leader in Lok Sabha, is accused of playing a key role in the alleged scam.

The SIT described Midhun Reddy as a core conspirator from inception to execution. The investigators alleged that he helped design the excise policy and coordinated kickbacks from distilleries.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) initially conducted an investigation into the case last year following a complaint by an official of the Excise Department. Later, the TDP-led NDA government constituted the SIT, headed by NTR, District Commissioner of Police, SV Rajashekhar Babu, to probe the case.

Investigators reportedly uncovered a kickback network involving nearly Rs 3,500 crore siphoned off over five years.

Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of Midhun Reddy and termed it a political conspiracy designed to silence those who stand with the people.

The YSRCP chief alleged that Midhun Reddy was falsely implicated through forced confessions.

The former Chief Minister stated that the alleged liquor scam is nothing but a manufactured narrative, created purely for media theatrics and to divert attention from real issues. He said the entire case is built on statements extracted under pressure, threats, third-degree torture, and also through bribes and inducements.

“The fact that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu himself is on bail with respect to a case on issues pertaining to liquor policy during 2014 -19 itself, is irrefutable evidence as to why he is stooping so low. The fact that he wants to nullify his case for acts during 2014-19 and also justify his policy now for 2024-29, he is finding fault with the policy formulated by the YSRCP Government,” Jagan Mohan Reddy said in a statement posted on X.

–IANS

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