Mauvin Godinho arrested

Sandesh Prabhudesai
16 May 2001  

Mauvin Godinho, former power minister of Goa in the Congress government, was arrested by the police today afternoon in connection with a multi-crore power rebate scandal.

Following his arrest, the state police have raided his two residential houses as well as five business establishments.

Karnal Singh, the state DIG, said they would produce Godinho in the court for seeking police custody in next 24 hours.

The 42-year old Congressman is the first politician to be arrested in Goa's political history after the state witnessed series of defections since 1990, obviously to generate wealth through illegal means.

While arresting Godinho under charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption, the police are also probing into disproportionate wealth he has amassed during his political career since 1989.

The main charge against him, said Singh, is misusing his powers as the public authority to help himself and others in amassing wealth.

In blatant violation of the rules of the state administration, Godinho gave rebirth to a dead notification during his tenure as the power minister in 1996, granting 25 per cent rebate to over 210 industries including power guzzling industries, without even seeking cabinet approval.

The state government, in 1991, had issued a notification granting 25 per cent subsidy on power for the new industrial units, which had applied for availing power connection since October '91, for the period of five years. Subsequently, the state had rescinded the notification on 31 March 1995, due to financial crunch.

While quashing the notification, which was earlier suspended by the state in 1998, the high court last month had ruled that Godinho's action cannot be considered a government decision due to non-compliance of any kind of rules.

Observing that Godinho had neither sought administrative or financial approval while issuing two notifications in this regard within three months in 1996, the court had also directed the government to take consequential action in this regard.

Besides Godinho, the police are now also probing into the involvement of the officials and the industrialists, who conspired with him. "They will also be arrested shortly", said Singh.

As Godinho's action cost the state around Rs nine crore, the police had recently reopened the file of a complaint filed by chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who was then the opposition MLA, interrogating Godinho thoroughly.

Though Godinho had mentioned in the file that the two notifications were issued after seeking approval from the chief minister Pratapsing Rane, the latter (who is the speaker today) told police during interrogation that the file was never brought before him.

Singh claims that Godinho amassed huge amount of wealth through this illegal deal and facts in this regard would be brought forth shortly. Godinho however has already termed the action as political vendetta of the ruling BJP government.

Read earlier report

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