Minister, top AP govt officials charged in Jagan asset case

Andhra Pradesh roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao and IAS officers M Samuel and Manmohan Singh are facing prospects of being jailed after they were  named accused in the Vanpic deal of the Jagan assets case.

In the charges filed in the CBI court yesterday, Dharmana has been named accused number 5, while Manmohan Singh and Samuel figured as accused numbers 7 and 8 respectively.

Jaganmohan Reddy is accused No 1, V Vijay Sai Reddy accused No 2 and Nimmagadda Prasad accused No 3 while former minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana is accused No 4 in the case.

All of the accused, including Dharmana and the two IAS officers, face charges of offences committed under the IPC. The charges include criminal conspiracy (120-B), criminal breach of trust by a public servant (409), cheating (419 and 420), forgery for the purpose of cheating (468), using as genuine a forged document, which is known to be forged (471), falsification of accounts (477A), and under sections 9, 11, 13 (2) read with 13 (1), (c) and (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dharmana was the revenue minister during the YSR regime of 2004 to 2009, including the period 2008-09 when the state government allotted over 20,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts for the Vadarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and Industrial Corridor (Vanpic) project. Most of it was 'assigned land' and could not be alienated to third parties under the provisions of Assignment of Lands Act. However, the YSR regime brought in two amendments and went ahead with the allotment.

The validity of the amendments was challenged in the AP high court. M Samuel, currently chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) and special chief secretary, environment, forests, science and technology, was principal secretary, revenue, while Manmohan Singh was principal secretary in the infrastructure and investments department when the Vanpic deal was struck between the state of AP and the state of Ras Al Khaimah in 2008.