Former Union Telecom Minister and sitting DMK MP A. Raja on Tuesday, appeared before a special court in Chennai, for allegedly amassing disproportionate wealth when he was a Minister. The court served copies of the charge-sheet and the first information report (FIR) to him.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a disproportionate assets case against the former Minister and 16 others, including his family members and associates, on August 18, 2015. The agency accused them of accumulating disproportionate assets to the tune of ₹27.92 crore. Based on preliminary investigations, the agency said the wealth was disproportionate to his known income sources during the check period of October 1999 to September 2010.
On completion of the investigation into the seven-year-old case, the CBI filed a charge-sheet against Mr. Raja and five others in a special court in Chennai recently. The final investigation report alleged that Mr. Raja had amassed wealth to the tune of ₹5.53 crore, disproportionate to his known sources of income. The court had issued a summons to the accused including Mr. Raja for personal appearances.
Following the summons, Mr. Raja and four others appeared before D. Sivakumar, Judge of the Special Court for cases relating to MPs and MLAs in Singaravelan Maligai. The Judge ordered the supply of copies of the charge-sheet and other documents relating to the case to Mr. Raja and the others.
The case was adjourned to February 8 for further proceedings.
