Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Monday ordered a comprehensive probe into the controversial attempt to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the state last year, recommending a Special Investigation Team to examine the deal from its very beginning.
Satheesan has forwarded the file to the Home Department, with a senior police officer likely to head the investigation.
The probe will have a wide mandate, covering not only the financial transactions surrounding the proposed event but also the decisions and government approvals that paved the way for the project.
Among the key questions before the investigators will be how Reporter Broadcasting Company was selected as the sponsor, whether any irregular moves were made to favour the private company, and the source and flow of funds.
The probe will also examine the circumstances surrounding the handover of the Kochi stadium, government orders and approvals, agreements signed in connection with the event, and the foreign visits undertaken in the name of bringing Messi and the Argentine team to Kerala.
The investigation assumes added significance with the Enforcement Directorate already examining an alleged transfer of Rs 126 crore abroad under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in connection with the project.
The ED is scrutinising whether foreign exchange regulations were violated in payments reportedly made to overseas sports management companies and is examining bank records, agreements, and the entities involved.
The agency has also sought documents from the GST Department and the then Sports Department and is examining the role of private sponsors, corporate entities and financial agencies outside Kerala that allegedly provided funds to Reporter Broadcasting Company.
The latest state probe is expected to go beyond the FEMA angle, giving investigators freedom to examine government files, bank transactions, contracts, and the entire decision-making process.
Allegations of hawala transactions, money laundering and shell companies are also part of the wider scrutiny, though these remain allegations at the preliminary stage and are yet to be established.
The Kerala Vigilance Department is also set to examine the alleged financial irregularities and the role of Reporter TV and officials associated with the project.
What began as an ambitious sporting spectacle announced during the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government has thus turned into a widening financial and administrative controversy, with multiple agencies now examining how the Messi dream was conceived, funded and ultimately unravelled.
–IANS
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