BIG blow to ex-Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, named in Rs 3500 crore liquor scam case, chargesheet says...

A chargesheet filed by the Andhra Pradesh Police in connection with a Rs 3,500 crore alleged liquor scam in a local court has mentioned former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as one of the recipients of the kickbacks averaging Rs 50-60 crore a month. The 305-page chargesheet filed on Saturday, however, stopped short of naming Jagan as an accused. The court is yet to take the cognizance of the chargesheet. In a post on X, Jagan Reddy termed the alleged liquor scam as nothing but a manufactured narrative, created purely for media theatrics and to divert attention from real issues.

Jagan Mohan Reddy slams govt
According to the YSRCP chief, the entire case is built on statements extracted under pressure, threats, third-degree torture, and through bribes and inducements. Meanwhile, the chargesheet claims, "The collected amounts were eventually handed over to Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy(A-1)". "Rajasekhar Reddy would then pass the money to Vijay Sai Reddy (A-5), Mithun Reddy (A-4), Balaji (A-33) who would transfer it to former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. On an average, Rs 50-60 crore was collected every month (during the 2019-24 YSRCP regime)," the charge sheet said, adding that it was corroborated by a witness.

What does the chargesheet allege?
The chargesheet alleged that Rajasekhar Reddy, "the mastermind and co-conspirator" behind the entire Rs 3,500 crore liquor scam, had influenced excise policy manipulation besides being instrumental in replacing automated OFS (order for supply) with manual process; to have planted loyalists in APSBCL (Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited). He allegedly created shell distilleries and handed over "kickbacks" to Jagan through another accused Balaji Govindappa, the chargesheet further alleged.

Details of the police chargesheet
Rajasekhar Reddy routed as much as Rs 250-Rs 300 crore cash for elections on behalf of YSRCP Party in tandem with accused Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy (former MLA) and was also responsible for laundering funds through over 30 shell firms. The amount was invested to acquire land, gold, luxury assets in Dubai and Africa, the chargesheet alleged. The police alleged that the key accused brought out the new liquor policy during the previous YSRCP regime with an underlying intent of having full control over the supply and sale of liquor, thereby to achieve their broader goal of earning commissions/kickbacks between 2019 till 2024.

YSRCP leader arrested by police
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged liquor scam has arrested YSRCP Lok Sabha member PV Midhun Reddy on Saturday, after grilling him for several hours. In May, the Enforcement Directorate also filed a money laundering case to investigate the alleged liquor scam. The federal probe agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe alleged irregularities in the sale of liquor in the state.

(With inputs from news agency PTI).