Ex-Andhra CM Naidu brought to Vijayawada govt hospital for medical checkup

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India]: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu was brought to the government hospital in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada in the early hours of Sunday for medical checkup, sources said.

According to sources, Naidu was brought by a team of officials from the Central Investigative Department (CID) to the hospital and is expected to be produced before the magistrate later in the day.

He was later taken back to the SIT office after medical, they said.

As per the officials, Naidu is expected to be produced before a special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Vijayawada.

Meanwhile, a heavy police force has been deployed at Vijayawada government hospital as well as at the ACB court.

Earlier, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Ravindra Kumar on Saturday condemned the state government and the CID and questioned the delay in producing the former CM before the court even after 20 hours of his arrest.

He also claimed that Naidu’s arrest was a result of a “political vendetta”.

“Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest was illegal. He has been arrested in what appears to be a case of a political vendetta. It’s almost more than 20 hours since Chandra Babu Naidu was not presented before the Court. Why the CID is not producing him before the court? If they have filed a case and have prepared a charge sheet, why a delay in producing him,” the MP questioned.

“Only 10 per cent of the share was from the government in skill development centre rest of the 90 per cent funds were from Siemens company,” he said.

On Saturday, Chandrababu Naidu was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) in connection to an alleged Skill Development Corporation scam.

According to officials, the case pertains to the establishment of clusters of Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a total estimated project value of Rs 3300 crore.

The agency officials also claimed that the alleged fraud has caused a huge loss to the state government in excess of Rs 300 crores.

As per the CID, the investigation has revealed serious irregularities such as before any expenditure by private entities, the then state government provided an advance of Rs 371 crores, representing the entire 10 per cent commitment by the government.

Most of the money advanced by the government was diverted to shell companies through fake invoices, with no actual delivery or sale of the items mentioned in the invoices, CID officials said.

In its remand report, the CID has said that according to the investigation so far, the total amount spent by private entities on six skill development clusters is sourced exclusively from funds advanced by the Government of AP and AP Skill Development Center, totalling Rs 371 crores.