Blagojevich's Indian American fundraiser under scanner

Raghuveer Nayak, who is under scanner of The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), helped Blagojevich raise USD 6 million.

The Federal authorities are investigating if Indian American Nayak made improper payments in order to draw doctors to perform surgeries at his ambulatory surgery centers.

Surgery centres linked to Nayak contributed more than USD 283,000 to Illinois politicians between 2001 and 2007, including USD 174,500 to impeached Blagojevich during that period, state campaign records show.

Nayak owns at least a dozen surgery centers and satellite offices in Illinois and Indiana. Two of his centres were served with search warrants in January. At least 30 doctors have received grand jury subpoenas and more than 10 of Nayak's employees have also been subpoenaed.

Although, Nayak did not testify at last year's trial, another Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi testified at the trial and accused Nayak of laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars through him in an alleged check-cashing scheme.

Meanwhile, Blagojevich, 54, yesterday lashed out at federal prosecutors who he said were "trying to stop him from proving his innocence".

He criticised prosecutors  for trying to bar his lawyers from telling jurors that wiretaps admitted as evidence against him represent only a fraction of secret recordings made on the eve of his 2008 arrest.

The former governor said that all tapes containing his conversations should be played to prove his innocence.

A federal judge who will preside over former Illinois Blagojevich's corruption retrial could rule on several motions at a pretrial status hearing today.