n a fast developing news story, the Income Tax department raided the residences and offices of Nuvem MLA, Mickky Pacheco in Betalbatim and Calangute strongman Joseph Sequeira.
Calangute deputy Sarpanch Subhash Salgaonkar was also being raided by the I-T sleuths.
A large number of officials of the I-T Department drawn from their Belgaum and Bengaluru offices swooped down on Goa early Thursday morning. The taxmen spilt into two teams and reached the residences Mickky Pacheco and Joseph Sequeira and began searches around 7 am.
Incriminating documents pertaining to their financial transactions and investments have been seized and the two politicians were being questioned for explanations, sources said.
The raids were continuing till late in the afternoon.
Eye witnesses said at least four Karnataka-registered vehicles carrying the officers reached outside Fransa House around 7 in the morning, The I-T officers also searched the nearly 20 vehicles belonging to the flamboyant Salcete politician.
Pacheco, who has been under the scanner of the country's economic policing agencies and some of his bank accounts even frozen for over two years, however, claimed innocence saying his residence was raided at least seven times in the last five years.
"It's nothing new, I've done nothing wrong," Mickky told In Goa News on camera even as the I-T officers were busy with their task inside his house. The I-T officials however were tight-lipped and declined to speak to meda persons.
Similar scenes were also witnessed at Calangute, where teams of the I-T department entered the residence and office of former Calangute Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira. The Deputy Sarpanch of Calangute, Subhash Salgaonkar, also came in the vortex of the I-T raids with his house being searched as well.
I-T raids against politicians are generally dismissed as political arm-twisting by the government in power at the Centre. Coming as they did on Thursday, just two or three months away from an impending general election, the stigma of being a political tool at the hands of the Centre is bound to be thrown at the I-T department in the instant case as well.
Nonetheless, Mickky's financial dealings had been under a scanner for some time. The Federal Bureau of Investigations of the United States was also investigating his international financial dealings after large transfers of money between the two countries allegedly involving his bank accounts came to light. Some of his bank accounts had also been frozen by the Central agencies at the request of the FBI.
17 сен 2024
