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Charges framed against Rao's kin, others in urea scam case

A Delhi court today framed charges against Sanjeeva Rao, relative of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, Prakash Chandra Yadav, son of former Fertilisers Minister Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav, and six others in the Rs 1.33 billion urea scam case.

Special judge V B Gupta framed charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against the accused after they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The other accused are National Fertilizers Ltd's former chief managing director C K Ramakrishnan and former executive director D S Kanwar, Sambasiva Rao, Indian agent of the Turkish firm Karsan Ltd which failed to supply urea to NFL despite full payment in advance, Karsan officials Tuncay Alankus and Cihan Karancy and D Mallesam Goud.

The judge fixed January 11 for beginning formal trial. He had announced on November 17 that prima facie there was sufficient evidence to frame charges against the accused and fixed today for the purpose.

Another accused, A E Pinto, a Brazilian national who allegedly brokered the urea deal, is in custody in London. Asked by the judge, the CBI said it had sought his extradition to India to stand trial in the case.

Besides charges of criminal conspiracy under Section 120b IPC and cheating under Section 420 IPC, charges have also been framed against the NFL officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal misconduct by public servants under Sections 13(1), 13(2) read with 13(1)(c). Prakash Yadav has also been charged under the PCA.

The court will hear arguments on the bail applications of Alankus and Karancy, who have been in custody for the past one year, ever since their extradition from Switzerland, on December 15.

The court has asked the CBI to file a status report within two months on the alleged involvement of Narasimha Rao's son Prabhakar Rao, who was questioned in the case but not named in the chargesheet.

UNI

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