Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Apr 20: The documents enclosed to first information report on mining scam filed in the 23rd additional city civil and sessions court here by special investigation team (SIT) superintendent of police (SP), H S Revanna, have shown that M/s Adani Enterprises Company, which was engaged in mining of manganese at Ballary, had paid a total of Rs 2,65,68,230 as protection money/bribe to various parties between 2005 and 2007. As per the documents, the company had paid Rs 6 lac to Uttara Kannada MP, Anant Kumar Hegde at the rate of Rs 2 lac per year.

The documents also show that Adani company paid kickbacks to officials in the departments of ports, customs, police, mines and geology, legal metrology, revenue, CRZ, PWD etc. The documents of Adani also state that it paid money to a judge functioning in 2007 and an MLA running into several lacs of rupees, without giving names. The papers reveal that bribe of Rs 2 lac was paid to Hegde during October or November each year. It claims that a sum of Rs 5.5 lac was paid to an MLA in two installments.

Anant Kumar Hegde

The records reveal about payment of Rs 1 lac to the SP every month, Rs 40,000 to assistant superintendent of police, Rs 25,000 to deputy superintendent of police, and Rs 14,000 each month to police circle inspector. Additional amounts varying between Rs 50,000 to one lac were paid during accidents, protests, etc. An amount of Rs 27,74,500 at the rate of Rs 50,000 per ship was paid during 2006-07, and Rs 2,03,300 to customs officials as per calculations based on number of ships. It is said before a ship can depart Belekeri port, an average of one lac rupees was to be paid to the staff there.

During the raid on the office of Adani Enterprises on February 20, 2010, SIT SP Revanna, deputy superintendent of police, K Annappa Naik and others had stumbled on a copy of email containing cash account statement submitted to the central office by a staff, Praveen Bajpai. The accounts were approved by Manoj Jha and Mittal of the central office. The SIT officials, who got list of bribes for four years containing 29 pages, have filed first information report after holding preliminary inquiry.

Considering that 36 shipping agencies and handling agencies were functioning in Belekeri port the total amount paid out in the form of bribe is hard to calculate, sources say. Although the mining scam came into the open six years back, and Lokayukta submitted its report, no one has so far faced any action. CBI which stopped its investigation midway, has filed charge sheet against a few. SIT is continuing with its investigation. No one knows how many years it will take before the court completes formalities and the guilty are punished.