Former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's Residence Raided in Bribery Case

Panaji: The Enforcement Directorate today conducted raids at the residence and offices of Congress lawmaker and former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in the Louis Berger bribery scandal.

Sources confirmed to NDTV that the raids - carried out along with the Goa Police - began around 7 am at five different locations - four are in the state capital, Panaji, and one in Madgaon, where Mr Kamat lives.

"We are looking for financial documents and some of the missing files in the case," a source told NDTV. However, he said the chances of Mr Kamat being arrested by the agency were slim.

The raids come a day after a local court granted anticipatory bail to the former chief minister, accused of taking Rs 1.2 crore as bribe from the US firm to favour them in a water and sewage project.

The Crime Branch of the state police today moved the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court appealing against the lower court's order.

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The court had granted bail on technical grounds, stating that the investigating officer had not spelt out reasons as to what was the need to arrest him, especially as Mr Kamat was not a flight risk and was appearing before the police for questioning.

The court also rejected Mr Kamat's defence observing it was not a case of political vendetta as the origins of the allegations emanated from the US. 

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Another former minister, Churchill Alemao, has already been arrested for his alleged role in the bribery scandal.