Bribery case: BJP demands CBI probe, Kamat denies wrongdoing

The ruling BJP in Goa today sought a CBI probe into the bribery case involving a US firm even as former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who headed the Congress government in the state when the alleged pay off was made, denied intervention of any of his ministers in clearing the project in question.
New Jersey-based construction management firm Louis Berger has been accused of bribing Indian officials for two major water development projects in Goa and Guwahati.
"A party delegation will soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Rajnath Singh demanding an inquiry through CBI into the bribery scam. The guilty should be punished," BJP's Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar said.

The entire dealing of JAICA ((Japan International Cooperation Agency) project should be probed by CBI and if more people are involved, they should also be arrested, Tendulkar said.
"The truth should be revealed. It is clear before the US court that the bribe was paid, we should know who accepted the money," he said.
However, former Chief Minister of Goa Kamat, denied involvement of any of his ministers in clearing the project.

"All the tenders for the JAICA project were issued as per Central Public Works Department norms. There is no intervention of any minister in it," Kamat had told PTI.

He said the role of any state department comes to the fore only while deciding estimates for the tender.
"Once estimates are drawn there is no possibility of any minister interfering in it," he said.
Kamat said a consortium from Japan was the lowest bidder for this project for reviving the water and sewerage system in the state.
"Anyone can allege that he paid money to the minister, but there should be proper base to support it," he said.