While the ACB is making it clear that several officials involved in corruption and irregularities during the previous government should be prosecuted, some ministers and TDP leaders are resisting and pressuring them to accept a departmental inquiry. Moreover, it is revealed that official letters are also being written to that effect.
In this way, the fact that key leaders in the coalition government are standing to cover up the irregularities of the previous government is shocking to the TDP ranks. If a crime is proven under key sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and other laws, one will have to go straight to jail. If a departmental inquiry is conducted, there will be a chance to dilute the crime with nominal punishments.
It is disturbing that key leaders are entering the field to water down many cases recommended for prosecution after collecting evidence related to corruption and confirming irregularities at various stages during the YSRCP regime. An officer who was a Deputy Collector faced many corruption charges during his tenure as a Tahsildar. He was caught by the ACB with an unaccounted amount of money along with a case of assets beyond his income.
When the ACB officially prepared to prosecute him, the minister wrote a letter suggesting to initiate a departmental inquiry and settle the matter. It is known that this is happening in many departments. During the YSRCP regime, many corruptions and irregularities took place in the fields of lands, roads, mines, municipal administration, survey, settlement, industries, basic resources, medical, health, excise, civil supplies, agriculture and cooperatives.
After the coalition government came to power, it conducted an inquiry into the mistakes made in the respective departments. The Vigilance Enforcement Department is directly investigating these cases. To escape prosecution of cases, corrupt officials are running with ministers in key posts, in which some MLAs and MLCs are also joining.
They are negotiating huge deals and settling. So far, six ministers are known to have been involved in such affairs. It is known that a minister from the coastal region has opened a special counter for ACB prosecution cases.