Kerala CM Satheesan recommends SIT probe into Messi event fiasco
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Thiruvananthapuram: 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 (SIT) to examine the project from its inception.
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-ranging mandate, covering not only the financial transactions linked to the proposed event but also the decisions and government approvals that paved the way for the project.
Investigators will examine how Reporter Broadcasting Company was selected as the sponsor, whether any irregularities occurred in favour of the private company, and the source and flow of funds.
The probe will also look into the circumstances surrounding the handover of the Kochi stadium, government orders and approvals, agreements signed in connection with the event, and foreign visits undertaken as part of efforts to bring Messi and the Argentine team to Kerala.
The investigation assumes added significance as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is 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. The agency is examining bank records, agreements and the entities involved.
It 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-level probe is expected to go beyond the FEMA angle, allowing investigators to examine government files, bank transactions, contracts and the entire decision-making process surrounding the project.
Allegations of hawala transactions, money laundering and the use of shell companies are also part of the wider scrutiny. However, these remain allegations at the preliminary stage and have not yet been 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 now turned into a widening financial and administrative controversy, with multiple agencies examining how the Messi project was conceived, funded and ultimately unravelled.
With IANS inputs