Skill Scam: ACB Court Likely to Deliver Verdict on Monday

VIJAYAWADA: The ACB court has completed hearings on two petitions relating to TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s bail plea and the AP-CID’s custody petition of Naidu in connection with Skill Development Corporation scam and reserved its verdict on Friday.

The verdict is likely to be announced on Monday.

Additional advocate general representing AP-CID Ponnavolu Sudhakar argued that Naidu conspired to commit the crime and diverted funds parked in shell companies to the Telugu Desam account by abusing his official position of Chief Minister.

“The funds were diverted by using GO 4 as a shield and there was a need to inquire the role of TD party auditor Venkateswarlu in the scam as he served as an auditor for Skill Development Corporation also. He said that a notice was served on him to attend the probe by CID on October 10.

AP-CID’s counsel argued that “there was only one auditor for both TD and Skill Development Corporation, and he managed funds diversion without getting exposed”, and appealed to the court not to grant bail to Naidu as he would now “manage” the auditor.

The counsel argued that Naidu resorted to the crime through a conspiracy. As such, Section 409 of IPC would be applicable in the case. He sought CID custody of Naidu as he “did not cooperate” in the earlier inquiry for two days in the Central Prison premises in Rajahmundry.

 Naidu’s counsel Pramod Dubey argued that among those who were arrested in the Skill Development Corporation scam, 13 persons got bail. Naidu, in the capacity of then CM, then, was having no role in the release of funds, he said.

Dibey argued that it would be inappropriate to seek custody of Naidu as several days were over since his arrest. Whatever funds parked in TD accounts were contributions to the party and there was no link between them and the funds from AP Skill Development Corporation scam, the court was told.

There were heated arguments between both the counsels. CID’s counsel sought custody of Naidu while Naidu’s counsel opposed it by claiming that Naidu was already inquired into while in the two-day custody.