Trouble is mounting on the Karnataka Congress leaders as a money laundering case was registered against former Water Resource minister and senior politician KJ George. The case comes days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested senior party leader DK Shivakumar.
Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) filed a case with the joint director of ED, Bengaluru, on September 6, accusing the MLA from Sarvagnanagar, KJ George, of owning several properties in India and abroad, worth over Rs 1000 crores. The party president, Ravikrishna Reddy, gave a detailed report of the properties owned by George - five in Manhattan and others in New York, United States.
Reddy said that KJ George has amassed huge illegal assets and it is impossible for him to buy such properties in one of the world's costliest real estate area without having a backhand dealing.
According to reports, most of the properties owned by George are in the name of his daughter Renita Abraham and her husband Kevin Abraham. They have purchased properties, worth millions of dollars, in the prime localities of New York. It is reported that their incomes are insufficient to make such purchases.
One of the properties owned by George in Manhattan is in his name, along with his wife Sujatha and brother KJ Kuruvila.
"Before Lokayukta 2014-15 assets declaration George had claimed that his children have no income, while his daughter has acquired many apartments and building in New York. George had also mentioned of a property in Australia but did not mention it in the election affidavit," Reddy was quoted as saying by News9.
He further said that to acquire these properties abroad, George had floated many shell companies, which he mortgaged and then repaid the loan in a very short span of time. He also asked the authorities to take up the case with the officials in the US to have more clarity.
After DK Shivakumar's arrest in a case relating to money laundering, it looks like an anti-corruption raid is haunting the Congress party in Karnataka.
