Buchi Babu is ED witness in liquor scam

HYDERABAD: Gorantla Buchi Babu, former auditor of K. Kavitha, BRS MLC and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, became a witness in the Enforcement Directorate case in Delhi liquor scam. He is listed as an accused in the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The CBI case deals with corruption and flouting of rules by government servants, including then Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, to benefit what the investigating agencies alleged was the “South Group” comprising Kavitha, “Aurobindo” Sarath Chandra Reddy and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivas Reddy.

The ED has been focusing on the money-laundering aspect of the liquor policy scam, or the flow of the bribe money as well pocketing of the returns from the sale of liquor.

The ED had several times summoned Kavitha based on the findings of the CBI that she along with other South Group members had paid '100 crore to the Aam Admi Party. The investigating agencies also alleged that Arun Ramachandran Pillai acted as a benami for Kavitha.

Both the CBI and ED were of the view that Buchi Babu played a crucial role right from learning about the draft liquor policy in advance to formulating the cartel and arranging funds to AAP leaders.

Sisodia in his bail petition informed the court that Buchi Babu was an accused in the CBI case while he was a witness in the ED case. He argued that the agencies couldn’t build their case just based on the statements given by Pillai and Buchi Babu which are unreliable.

The designated court strongly felt that there is a prima facie case of the involvement of Sisodia in the alleged offence of money-laundering. “If Sisodia claims that he was implicated based on witness Buchi Babu’s statement, it is obvious that he admitted to have laundered money on behalf of the South Group,” sources in the know of the scam pointed out.

The court said it was not inclined to grant bail to Sisodia in this case of economic offence having serious repercussions upon the general public and society at large, as evidence collected during the investigation spoke of his (Sisodia) involvement in commission of the offence.