JOIN USOre export scam: Legislator 'flees' to Singapore
B S Anand Singh, the BJP MLA from Vijayanagar (Hospet) constituency in Bellary district, who was likely to be arrested by the CBI in the Belekeri port iron ore export scam case, has left for Singapore.
The CBI had summoned Singh, who was Tourism Minister in the Jagadish Shettar government, for questioning to its office in Bangalore on Saturday.
The CBI sources said that Singh had left for Singapore on Friday night itself. Though the CBI had alerted all the airports about the possibility of Singh, a second-term MLA, fleeing the country on Saturday, it was a tad too late.
Advance bail plea
On Monday, Singh's counsel filed an anticipatory bail petition in the CBI court in Bangalore stating that the MLA was in Singapore for treatment for a heart ailment.
In the petition, Singh has pleaded that he has been co-operating with the CBI all through the probe and now the CBI was unnecessarily thinking of arresting him, though he was innocent.
The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday. The CBI is now looking at options of seeking the Interpol’s help to nab Singh and bring him back to the City.
In a related development, the CBI on Monday night arrested Singh’s close aide Shivakumar, manager of S B Minerals, accused of illegally exporting iron ore through Belekeri port near Karwar. S B Minerals is a company owned by Singh.
Shivakumar was produced before the CBI special court in the City on Tuesday. He was remanded in CBI custody till September 30.
A couple of days ago, the CBI arrested two MLAs, T H Suresh Babu of Kampli in Bellary district, and Satish Sail of Karwar for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore iron ore export scam.