In a way directly linking the AP Liquor Scam with the former chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the SIT officials have named CMO Secretary Dhanunjaya Reddy, Jagans OSD Krishnamohan Reddy, and Bharathi Cements full-time director Govindappa Balaji as accused. To this extent, the SIT officials filed a memo in the Vijayawada ACB special court on Tuesday.
Earlier, 30 people were named as accused in the case, but in the latest memo submitted, Dhanunjaya Reddy was named as A-31, Krishnamohan Reddy as A-32, and Govindappa Balaji as A-33. Along with the main accused Raj Kasireddy, the SIT has already found that these three, along with YSRCP MP Mithun Reddy, Vijayasai Reddy and others, were involved in the liquor scam at all levels.
The SIT has confirmed that these three are also key players in the liquor syndicate. It revealed the involvement of Dhanunjaya Reddy, Krishnamohan Reddy and Govindappa Balaji in the remand reports of the four accused who have already been arrested. The SIT has included them as accused as all three could influence the witnesses and the investigation of the case.
Raj Kasireddy’s team used to collect bribes of Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 crore every month from the liquor supply companies and distilleries that placed the largest number of orders. The SIT has already confirmed in its investigation that they used to pass them on to the then Chief Minister Jagan through Krishnamohan Reddy and Govindappa Balaji.
It has been found that Dhanunjaya Reddy, an IAS officer who worked as the secretary in the CMO at that time, was also involved in this liquor syndicate and had links with the bribes. As soon as they were mentioned in the remand report, these three approached the High Court and the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail, but failed to get any relief.
All three are currently absconding without cooperating with the SIT investigation. Retired IAS officer Dhanunjaya Reddy is from the combined Kadapa district. He was previously a key figure in YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s coterie. He was appointed as the CMO Secretary as soon as Jagan came to power in 2019 and enjoyed unlimited powers for five years from then on.
The SIT has already collected evidence on his role in the liquor scam. Govindappa Balaji is from V. Kota, Chittoor district and has been a full-time director of Bharathi Cements, of which YS Jagan’s wife Bharathi is a director, since April 30, 2010. He looks after all the financial affairs, IT operations, and procurement responsibilities of the company.
The SIT has identified Govindappa Balaji, a chartered accountant, as the mastermind behind the routing of the bribe money and diverting it to different institutions. The investigation will reveal who did this to benefit whom on whose orders by interrogating Govindappa Balaji. Krishnamohan Reddy is the most trusted pawn of Jagan Mohan Reddy and his family.
He previously worked as an RDO and joined Jagan as an OSD after taking VRS. When Jagan was in jail, he worked as an OSD for his mother Vijayamma. The CBI had also interrogated Krishnamohan Reddy in the Vivekananda Reddy’s murder case.