The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) has informed the special court that it has started further investigation into the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam, pegged at Rs. 25,000 crores, in which there are allegations against NCP leader and former deputy CM Ajit Pawar. The protest petitions has also challenged the closure report submitted by the EOW and also raised doubts over investigation on role of Pawars.
The decision to conduct a further probe into the case was taken following protest petitions challenging the closure report submitted by the EOW. One of the informants, Surinder Arora, in his 73-page protest petition, had alleged that the investigating agency had not probed the role of Pawar and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Special public prosecutor Ajay Misar informed the court that further probe in the case is based on the points raised by the protest petitioners and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) .
Misar also filed an application seeking the return of documents, which were submitted to the court, for further investigation. The court has allowed the application.
The court has kept the matter for a further hearing on November 18.
According to the protest petitions, none of the aspects of the MSCB scam related to the Pawars were investigated, and Sharad Pawar was given a clean chit with a "pre-determined mind to exonerate him," the petition filed through Talekar and Associates before a special CBI court said.
Pointing to lacunae in the closure report, it said the investigating officer had visited the 64 units which were given illegal loans and recorded statements of watchmen and clerical staff who were not acquainted with the happenings.
Arora says that "political considerations" were brought to bear on the investigating officer, vitiating the report. The magnitude of the scam, in which crores of people were dependent on the sugar factories sold by the accused, was not considered, nor was the financial loss to the exchequer of Rs. 25,000.
The petition further stated that the investigating officer has not named a single person accused in the scam, as if the episode was an act of God. He also pointed out that the statements recorded by 75 directors are similar to the extent of even punctuation and called the entire investigation "bogus".
It was a PIL by Arora in the Bombay HC that had led to the court's ordering an FIR in the matter. Accused are several political leaders, cutting across party lines, who held positions as directors in district co-operative banks. These banks allegedly gave illegal loans to sugar factories and then sold the latter to their own kith and kin at throw-away prices when they were unable to repay the loans, thus causing a loss to the bank.
