Skill Scam: Supreme Court to deliver verdict on Chandrababu Naidu’s quash petition today

AMARAVATI: A Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justices Bela Trivedi and Anirudha Basu is expected to deliver its verdict on the Quash petition filed by skill scam-tainted former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandrababu on Tuesday. The former CM sought quashing of the FIR filed against him by the AP CID alleging a Rs 370 crore fraud in the skill development scam. Chandrababu Naidu approached the Apex Court after the AP High Court dismissed a similar petition filed by him.

Senior Supreme Court Lawyers Harish Salve and Sidharth Luthra hinged their argument on Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and said that the AP Government failed to follow the stipulated norm of informing the Governor of the State about the arrest of Naidu in the skill scam case.

Also Read: Chandrababu Naidu completes anticipatory bail formalities in three CID offices

However, the Government’s counsel another senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that 17A doesn’t apply to the case as the crime was committed before 2018 when 17-A was not in place. The Supreme Court’s judgment would be bound to become a benchmark for the country about corruption at the highest places.

Salient points of the skill scam case

• Rs 241 crore reached Naidu through shell companies

• ED, CAG determined the hawala transactions

• APCID nailed the role of the former CM along with proofs

• A1 Naidu in judicial remand for 52 days in Rajamahendravaram Central Prison

• Project created on papers without the knowledge of German major Seimens

• Project cost hiked from Rs 370 crore to Rs 3,300 crore

• GO issued in the name of Seimens, MOU with Designtec

• Despite objections from officials Rs 271 crore released

• That money reached Naidu through shell companies

• A fake project was slapped on the people with the help of Sanjay Danga of Designtech

• Naidu unveiled the scam with the help of Suman Bose of Siements and Designtech’s Vinakay Kanwalkar

• The MOU was fisrt signed in 2014 through Education Department

• Without approval of the State Cabinet AP Skill Development Corporation was created

The hiking of project cost from Rs 330 crore to Rs 3,300 crore was made as per the instructions of the then CM. Orders were issued on June 30, 2015, for the implementation of the project with Designtech investing 90 percent of the cost and the AP Government investing the remaining 10 percent.

Suman Bose addressed all correspondence to Naidu without the knowledge of Seimens. Instead of Grant In Aid the correspondence mentioned Grant In Kind. However, the said did not release software of any basic equipment for the project.

Also Read: AP files SLP in Supreme Court seeking stay on regular bail to Chandrababu Naidu in skill scam case

During the investigation, the CID found Chandrababu Nadu’s signatures in 13 places on note files about finance, higher education, skill development, and GAD. Former Minister Atchennaidu signed on five files. The money trail to Naidu’s house was traced through Designtech and the shell companies. It was found that Rs 241 crore reached Naidu after paying commissions to middlemen and sundry.

The Enforcement Directorate pointed out that the money was then transferred to Singapore from the shell companies and from there at least Rs 70 crore was sent to India through hawala hands. Even though the investigation agencies identified in 2017 that something was fishy, Naidu as the Chief Minister gagged the ACB and saw to it that all related files went missing at the APSSDC office.

The money trail

ACI: Rs 56 crore

Knowledge Podium Rs 45.28 crore

Eeta: Rs14.1 crore

Patricks: Rs 3.13 crore

IT Smith: Rs 3.13 crore

Bharatiya Global: Rs 3.13 crore

Inweb: Rs 1.56 crore

Polaris: Rs 2.2 crore

Cadence Partners: Rs .12 crore

In all Rs 140.53 crore was withdrawn by Yogesh Gupta from the shell companies and handed over the money to Manoj Partahsani of Shapoorji Pallonji. Manoj then gave that money to Chandrababu‘s PS Pendyala Srinivas who handed over Rs 140.53 crore to Naidu at his house. The remaining Rs 100.47 crore was moved by PVSP to companies in Dubai and Singapore. This money also was transferred to Naidu by Srinivas through Hawala transactions. Alerted by Naidu, his PS Srinivas escaped to the USA and Manoj to Dubai.