Amaravati, July 20: A chargesheet filed by Andhra Pradesh police in connection with the Rs 3,500 crore alleged liquor scam in a local court has mentioned former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as one of the recipients of the kickbacks averaging Rs 50-60 crore per month.
The 305-page chargesheet filed on Saturday, however, stopped short of naming Jagan as accused.
The court is yet to take the cognizance of the chargesheet.
In a post on X, Jagan termed the alleged liquor scam as nothing but a manufactured narrative, created purely for media theatrics and to divert attention from real issues. According to the YSRCP chief the entire case is built on statements extracted under pressure, threats, third-degree torture, and through bribes and inducements. Meanwhile, the chargesheet claims, “The collected amounts were eventually handed over to Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy(A-1)”. “Rajasekhar Reddy would then pass the money to Vijay Sai Reddy (A-5), Mithun Reddy (A-4), Balaji (A-33) who would transfer it to former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. On an average, Rs 50-60 crore was collected every month (during the 2019-24 YSRCP regime),” the charge sheet said, adding that it was corroborated by a witness.
The chargesheet alleged that Rajasekhar Reddy, “the mastermind and co-conspirator” behind the entire Rs 3,500 crore liquor scam, had influenced excise policy manipulation besides being instrumental in replacing automated OFS (order for supply) with manual process; to have planted loyalists in APSBCL (Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited). He allegedly created shell distilleries and handed over “kickbacks” to Jagan through another accused Balaji Govindappa, the chargesheet further alleged.
Rajasekhar Reddy routed as much as Rs 250-Rs 300 crore cash for elections on behalf of YSRCP Party in tandem with accused Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy (former MLA) and was also responsible for laundering funds through over 30 shell firms. (PTI)
