Goswami- The scam swami, his men and the story so far

By Sanket ‘Expose the scams’ Kambli

When I sat about writing a few lines about this scamster, I was confused as to which part of this issue should I work to highlight. So let’s not waste time, let’s begin somewhere. Well before that let us have an intro on what is going on.
We are dealing here with government officials and others accused of committing fraud, forgery and cheating by siphoning off government money meant for flood relief in Bihar last year. And as soon as we see the words fraud, forgery, government officials and things like 'money not being spent for their designated purpose' we all think 'yes these people in the administration are like this only' , but we do nothing, here we get a glimpse of a sloppy attitude towards some serious issues. Let us move further.
Here are some details of the initial report of the Comptroller and Auditor General:
Allotment of Rs 13.54 crore to Former Patna district magistrate (DM) Gautam Goswami was irregular.
DM Patna did not enter into any pre-contract for supply of relief materials.
The entire bidding process was flawed. Though contract was awarded to BSSIC, no agreement was executed with it and cheques were issued in favour of BSSI (the fake firm by the name of Baba Satya Sai Industries run by contractor and Sadhu Yadav associate Santosh Jha) although there was no agreement with the firm.
DM Patna diverted funds from other heads and made advance payments of Rs 17.80 crore.
DM Patna spent Rs 61.70 lakh without authorisation for purposes other than relief.
No stock register of items supposedly purchased was maintained by DM Patna. Only dispatch register was maintained, its entries not being authenticated by any official.
Goswami's lawyer Shankar also pointed out that the report has not clearly indicted Goswami. It has only said that there was a possibility of embezzlement which exists in every government work.
This report has provided us a somewhat clear picture of the magnitude of the scam. And if you think that just knowing who did it all is enough then you are wrong, because we are yet to get into all the legal swirls, press reports, bails and all those things.
So here we go, enjoy the roller coaster ride of some interesting statements.
Designated Vigilance Judge Jitendra Mohan Prasad, who earlier reserved his order on conclusion of arguments by Goswami's lawyer Tuhin Shankar and senior public prosecutor of Vigilance P P Singh, dismissed Goswami's anticipatory bail petition. Soon after rejection of Goswami's petition, Shankar said his client would either surrender or move the superior court against the lower court's order. Referring to the argument of the defence counsel Shankar that several other officials were involved in the relief work carried out with the help of army helicopters and boats, Singh showed a copy of the payment of Rs 2 lakh made by Goswami to a fake firm “Amibika Coffee House” for coffee from the funds allotted to him as Patna district magistrate-cum-nodal officer for carrying out relief for flood-hit victims in north Bihar. “The fund for relief was spent on purchasing coffee and that too from a firm which the Vigilance Bureau was yet to locate,” he remarked. Singh said over Rs 1 lakh was also spent on using swimming pools. “It implies that the officials were not carrying out relief but having pleasure swimming,” he said. He said cheques of several crores of rupees were also issued to a fake firm, Baba Satya Sai Industries instead of the Bihar Small Scale Industries Corporation, towards payment for managing relief. Singh said when Goswami was ready to cooperate with the Vigilance Bureau probing the scam, he should have surrendered by now and”we would have taken him on remand for interrogation”. He urged the court not to allow Goswami's plea for bail and claimed that he was deeply involved in the scam. Goswami has been dismissed as senior Vice President of Sahara India Company, company sources said. The company terminated his services with effect from June 6, senior Sahara group officials told PTI on phone from Lucknow. The same was confirmed by Goswami's lawyer Tuhin Shankar here. Goswami failed to submit some necessary papers as per the requirement of the organisation and it led to his termination, the sources said. Goswami, who quit Indian Administrative Services to join Sahara group, was in trouble after the Vigilance Investigation Bureau probing the scam tightened its noose around him. He has been alleged as prime accused in the case. Additional Director General of the Bureau Neelmani, meanwhile, said the department has sought legal advice to proceed against Sahara for allegedly not cooperating in the investigation process. Goswami's anticipatory bail plea was rejected on June 6 by designated Vigilance Judge J M Prasad. The Bureau has announced Rs one lakh as reward for anyone providing information leading to Goswami's arrest. In the face of the non-bail able warrant against him in the multi-crore flood-relief scam, Santosh Kumar Jha, the alleged kingpin of the swindle, accompanied by his lawyer and former law minister Shakeel Ahmed Khan surrendered before the Vigilance Judge J M Prasad in the case charging Jha, former Patna DM Gautam Goswami and others of committing fraud, forgery and cheating by siphoning off government money meant for flood relief in Bihar last year. Jha's lawyer Khan also filed a petition in the court for lodging his client in judicial custody in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on health grounds. Khan told the court Jha was also surrendering in connection with another vigilance case relating to alleged irregularities committed by his black listed firm - Santosh Printing Press, in execution of the literacy project in Kathiar. Jha is also the owner of Baba Satya Sai Industries (BSSI) the firm charged of the swindle by entering into criminal conspiracy with Goswami and others. All domestic and international airports, besides immigration check-posts officials, had already been alerted by the state Vigilance Bureau probing the scam to prohibit Goswami and his assistant Amitav Arun from fleeing the country. So will the accused be punished? Will justice be served? The answers to these questions will be out soon. But answers to questions like, when will administrative officers start doing service to the nation honestly and responsibly, than doing service to themselves. When will funds reach its destination without being siphoned off on the way? As many of us know this is not the only scam going on in our country, when will people become vigilant and make the government become one, forcing them to take the necessary steps. Well these are questions, whose answers are not available in these printed words; we have to peer inside ourselves. Which I know must be too much to ask for. Right?