Ranchi: As Enforcement Directorate
waits to arrest former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda,
Income Tax department today claimed to have stumbled upon
documents showing that he and his associates had allegedly
stashed huge sums of money in Swiss banks.
The IT department has also handed over these documents to
the Enforcement Directorate which would be sending in a letter
of request to Swiss authorities for ascertaining the exact
amount allegedly stashed by Koda and his associates, official
sources said.
Besides Switzerland, the bank documents suggested that
the former Chief Minister and his associates had allegedly
stashed money in countries like Thailand and Mauritius,
according to the IT department.
38-year-old Koda, who headed the mineral-rich state for
two years from 2006 to 2008, was facing an imminent arrest by
the ED, as the entire scam, intially believed to be a little
over Rs 2,000 crore, was turning murkier and bigger.
Koda was admitted to the ICU in the Abdur Razzak
Weavers' Memorial Hospital of the Apollo Group in Ranchi on
Tuesday complaining of high blood pressure and stomach ache.
He was shifted to a special ward today.
The IT department and Enforcement Directorate have also
asked the hospital to let them know before discharging Koda,
according to Medical Superintendent Dr P D Sinha.
Meanwhile, the IT department officials are still carrying
out the sealing exercises on the properties of Koda and his
associates. The searches had begun on October 31.
Both the IT and ED have started scrutiny of the documents
related to alleged hawala transactions and investments running
into more than Rs 2,000 crore by Koda and his associates.
After five days of raids at 70 places in nine cities
across the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, Income
Tax officials yesterday sealed a room and almirahs at Koda's
residence in Ranchi.
The ED sources said the information obtained from the
seized documents and affidavits will have to be put across to
Koda for further progress in the case, which can only happen
after detailed questioning.
In Ranchi, the Jharkhand High Court today directed the
state to submit on November 12 a progress report on the
vigilance probe into the disproportionate assets case against
Koda and some his former Cabinet colleagues.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, November 05, 2009, 23:03