The Enforcement Directorate, too, is planning to question KTR on 7 January. Both ACB and ED have listed him as accused number one in the case.
Published Jan 03, 2025 | 9:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 03, 2025 | 9:07 PM
BRS working president KTR. (X)
Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has issued a notice to former municipal administration minister and BRS working president KT Rama Rao, asking him to appear before its officers in connection with the Formula-E race case.
The ACB notice summoned KTR — as the BRS leader is popularly known — to its office at 10 am on Monday, 6 January, in connection with his alleged role in the transfer of ₹46 crore (excluding taxes) to a foreign company for conducting the race in Hyderabad in February last.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), too, is planning to question him on 7 January. Both ACB and ED have listed him as accused number one in the case.
However, it is not known if KTR would turn up before the ACB on the appointed day or seek more time.
KTR has already got immunity from arrest by the ACB from the Telangana High Court. He has not yet moved any petition for similar relief from the ED. The high court, however, has not stayed the probe.
The other two accused in the case are senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar (A2) who was the principal secretary MAUD department and the commissioner of HMDA when the transfer of funds took place. The A3 in the case is the former Chief Engineer of the HMDA BLN Reddy.
Though Reddy was to appear before the ED on Thursday, 2 January, he sought and obtained time till 8 January, while Arvind Kumar who has to appear on Friday, 3 January, sought and obtained the ED’s consent to appear before them on 9 January.
Meanwhile, KTR seemed confident of emerging unscathed from the case. At a media interaction recently, he described the case as a “lotta peesu (flimsy)” one. He said the ACB could not find any corruption element in the transactions done for the conduct of the Formula-E race.
The ED, which filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) a day after the ACB had booked the trio in the case, is probing probable violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the transfer of ₹45 crore.
The money was transferred out of Hyderabad from the Himayatnagar branch of the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in two installments in 2023 from the account held by the HMDA.
The ED is also probing how the funds were transferred from the bank without the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s clearance. It is also looking at whether the bank had followed the rules that govern transferring currency out of India.
The ED is also looking if there was any written authorisation from the HMDA to the IOB to transfer the amount.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
