Jagan assets case: Andhra IT minister appears before CBI

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah today appeared before the CBI in connection with a case pertaining to alleged illegal assets involving YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy even as the agency continued for the fifth day the custodial interrogation of the Kadapa MP. CBI, which had summoned the minister, is likely to examine him over the Government Orders (GOs) issued between 2004 and 2009 by the irrigation department when he was the Major Irrigation minister in the cabinet of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. The orders mostly concerned supply of water from river Krishna and Kagina to some cement companies which in turn had allegedly invested in businesses owned by Jagan Reddy. [caption id=“attachment_335297” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Andhra Pradesh IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah will appear before the CBI to be questioned in the Jagan illegal assets case. “]  [/caption] Before proceeding to the CBI office at Koti here, Ponnala told reporters that he will answer all questions of the agency. “I respect the law and will cooperate with the investigating agency…I have not done anything wrong.” Ponnala is among the six Andhra Pradesh ministers who received notices from the Supreme Court in March, seeking to know about their stand on the charge of their alleged role in the case against Jagan. The central agency which has arrested Jagan, his financial advisor V Vijay Sai Reddy (currently out on bail), former AP Minister Mopidevi Venkatramana Rao, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and senior bureaucrat K V Brahmananda Reddy in the case, has also quizzed two other AP ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao over the controversial GOs. The CBI, meanwhile continued questioning Jagan after taking over his custody from the Chanchalguda jail where he is under judicial remand till June 11. The five-day CBI custody period will expire today. The CBI, in the three chargesheets filed against Jagan and others, said he and his father had hatched a conspiracy to defraud the government with Jagan influencing Rajasekhara Reddy in doling out certain favours to various investors, who had made investments of several crores into Jagan’s businesses (at very high premiums) as a quid-pro-quo basis. PTI