With Goa Chief Minister himself engulfed with allegations of huge disproportionate assets, Pramod Sawant will not be able to rein his fellow corrupt Ministers nor command their much needed respect.
Now that Pramod Sawant has himself publicly announced that he is ready to face any probe into the properties acquired by him, let him entrust this to a judicial probe by a retired High Court Judge to get to the bottom of the rot as the real estate assets of our rags to riches Chief Minister now extends beyond Goa into our neighboring Maharashtra and Karnataka. In his affidavit filed at the 2012 Assembly elections Pramod Sawant had stated that his total income for 2010-2011 was a mere Rs 4,51,653 and that his savings including FD’s was a mere Rs 55, 139. So we need to know as to how the Chief Minister is now a mega crorepati. Pramod Sawant’s craving to amass property began while he was Chairman of that gold mine the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC).
On 16th June 2018 while he was ailing the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar gave his consent to close without conducting a probe the disproportionate assets case that was filed by Sudip Tamhankar against Pramod Sawant, the then Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Pramod Sawant was accused of buying properties in the name of a partnership firm M/s Jay Ganesh Developers and Associates set up by him in 2014 as a front with Ranjit Rohidas Mangaonkar, Rupesh Narayan Thanekar and Rajesh Manohar Shirodkar as the other three partners with 24 Sale deeds executed within two years by Pramod Sawant’s partnership firm at the office of the Sub- Registrar in Bicholim itself.
Amongst the properties purchased by Pramod Sawant’s partnership firm was land admeasuring 16,480 sq mts in Bordem at Bicholim for Rs 1,31,84,000 ( one crore thirty one lakhs and eighty four thousand ) and another 19,989 sq mts also at Bordem for an amount of Rs 1,23,34,000 (one crore twenty three lakhs and thirty four thousand). As Pramod Sawant has acquired vast properties we need to know the source of income of this ayurvedic doctor who has mastered the art of acquiring properties after becoming an MLA in 2012.
It would be prudent if the Chief Minister leads by example and surrenders himself to an impartial probe, otherwise he may always be known as Mr. Property Sawant instead of Pramod Sawant. A probe by a retired High Court judge, independent and free from political interference who can obtain and evaluate all the evidence will meet the ends of Justice. Ministers, MLAs and any other Government official appointed or elected by the people to whom they are accountable must be subject to this kind of transparent scrutiny. Over to you, Mr. Chief Minister.
