Panaji:
When asked whether he's involved in money laundering, Mickey Pacheco glibly responded, "What is that... a service where you wash and throw money?"
Pacheco, who resigned as Goa's Tourism Minister after his close friend committed suicide, would do well to hold onto his sense of humour. He's being investigated for an immigration scam.
Pedro Antonio Joanes is back at his home in Benaulim in South Goa. Joanes, a carpenter by profession, was granted a US visa in 2007 after he got a job on a cruise ship as a cook. But soon after he landed at New York's JFK airport, immigration officers stopped him. "They told me there was something wrong with my papers. Then they deported me, after I spent a month and half in jail." His American Dream would remain just that.
Joanes refusing to explain what role Pacheco played in his attempted migration, stating only, "I know Mickey as an MLA. He helps people. My visa was processed by Fransa Travel Agency." In fact, the Fransa Travel Agency was located, till 2003, on the ground floor of Pacheco's house. His ex-wife, Sara, was licensed to operate the agency's immigration service. And now Pacheco stands accused by the US of forging documents for a series of Goans who wanted to move to America.
Pacheco already stands accused of culpable homicide not amounting to murder - his companion, Nadia Torrado died in hospital after consuming rat poison. Pacheco and her family, the Goan police believe, are complicit in her death. In June, Pacheco disappeared for over a week before police interrogated him. Pacheco has stated his innocence repeatedly, stating that Torrado was reaching for toothpaste when she accidentally ate a tube of rat poison instead. After 14 days in custody, he was granted bail.
Now, the CBI has accused him of forgery and cheating in connection with the immigration scam. It has grabbed Pacheco's laptop and cellphones, and frozen his bank accounts.
Pacheco says that when his ex-wife, Sara, moved out of his home in 2003, she took the travel agency and its immigration services with her. But the CBI believes that Pacheco and Sara shared business affairs till quite recently. For example, Pacheco runs a shipping agency in the US that refers seamen for work on board ships and vessels. About 18 months ago, Pacheco applied for a license to launch his own immigration agency. He says he is still waiting for it to come through.