Vijayawada, April 18 Former MP V. Vijayasai Reddy on Friday appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged multi-crore liquor scam that occurred in Andhra Pradesh during the YSR Congress Party regime.
The SIT, which had summoned Vijayasai Reddy as a witness, examined him for nearly three hours.
The former Rajya Sabha member later told the media that the SIT officials asked him about the two meetings. He was asked about what was discussed during the meetings and who attended them.
Vijayasai Reddy, who resigned from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and also quit as an MP in January, told SIT officials that the first meeting was held in Hyderabad and the second in Vijayawada to discuss liquor policy.
He said the SIT officials asked him about kickbacks, but he told them he had no knowledge of this. He also told the investigating officers that he did not know who received the money collected by Raj Kasireddy.
Stating that he never interfered in liquor sales, the former MP said all answers will be questioned by Kasireddy.
Calling Kasireddy the mastermind of the scam, Vijayasai Reddy said party elders introduced Kasireddy to him. The former MP said that while it was a fact that he (Kasireddy) encouraged him and gave him important positions in the party, he had no knowledge of his criminal mindset. He said he was shocked by the way Kasireddy cheated him.
The SIT has already issued notices to Kasireddy, a key accused in the case, but he failed to appear. The SIT has already issued a lookout notice to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Kasireddy is suspected to have played a key role in the alleged illegal collection of nearly Rs 3,000 crore over a five-year period. He was the IT advisor to then Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The SIT on Monday conducted searches in the house and other properties of Kasireddy in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Kasireddy’s father, Upender Reddy, appeared before SIT on Friday. He had also appeared before SIT officials on Thursday and was questioned for nearly six hours.
The TDP-led NDA government constituted the SIT in November last year to investigate the allegations of irregularities and corruption in Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) under the YSRCP tenure.
The TDP leaders alleged that some YSRCP leaders had links with the liquor manufacturers, floated many local brands, conducted cash payments and made illegal money.
The SIT reportedly identified the involvement of some political leaders, private persons and others in the scam.
The investigating officers reportedly traced the money trail of kickbacks involving a sitting Lok Sabha member and a former Rajya Sabha member from YSRCP.
Last month, TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to investigate the liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh, claiming that it is larger than the Delhi liquor scandal.
He alleged that the scam resulted in a loss of Rs 18,860 crore to the state exchequer from 2019 to 2024 and requested Amit Shah to order a probe by the Enforcement Directorate and other central agencies.
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