Corruption Watch

[Guest]

<b>The search for Koda’s crores, in five countries</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The Enforcement Directorate has written to five countries seeking details of investments there by former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and his friends.

The five countries are Indonesia, Switzerland, UAE, Liberia and Thailand.</b>

"We are in the process of getting Letter Rogatory (a letter of request sent by a court to a foreign court) issued to the five countries to obtain the information through a formal channel,” said a directorate official . He refused to be identified.

<b>Koda and his associates are accused by the directorate of illegally transferring huge sums of money abroad for investing in various ventures, including mining, such as in Liberia.</b>

And Income Tax is investigating how Koda and his men came into so much money.

Vikas Sinha, an associate arrested earlier, has told interrogators about investments in India and abroad.

<b>Sinha’s brother Binod Sinha is alleged to have been the main person behind Koda’s crores, with another friend Sanjay Choudhary. Both are missing.</b>

<b>Vikas Sinha has admitted to managing Koda’s money  and his linkages with nine private companies worth more than Rs 100 crore, investigators said.</b>

Koda has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Rahul Kumar, told HT, “We are yet to receive any search report either from the IT or ED.”<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->