Bhubanewswar, Nov. 19: The inaugural edition of the Odisha Premier League (OPL) has turned into an albatross around the neck of secretary of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) Ashirbad Behera.
Behera, who is facing the CBI heat for his alleged link with the money deposit collection conglomerate, Artha Tatwa, was interrogated for nearly three-and-a-half hours here today.
Behera was grilled for the fourth time on a day that saw CBI DIG (special investigation) S. Bagchi and the Enforcement Directorate’s special director Yogesh Gupta arriving here to accelerate the pace of investigation.
Behera’s son Sanjay, secretary of the Odisha Football Association (FAO), is also facing CBI investigation.
Behera, who is holding the OCA secretary’s post consecutively for the fourth time, was dragged into the controversy after the association had organised the inaugural edition of the T20 cricket tournament, OPL, in 2011 in the line with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He had roped in all the bigwigs, including the Odia heartthrob Anubhav Mohanty, as OPL ambassador.
But, what went wrong was the selection of franchise owners for the tournament.
Out of 10 franchise owners, four have been arrested by the CBI and put in jail for their alleged link with the money deposit collection companies. The Artha Tatwa had sponsored the tournament.
It’s chief Pradeep Sethy, who is now in jail, had donated Rs 1 crore for the tournament. Owner of one of the OPL team Angul Tuskers, Bikash Ranjan Swain, who is also the owner of an Odia newspaper, has been put behind bars for his connection with the AT Group.
While Sagar Ray’s company LG Infrastructure Pvt Ltd had owned the Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar Jaguars, one of his directors, who had floated Orisons Overseas Pvt Ltd, had owned the Puri Emperors. But, Ray remained de facto owner of Puri Emperors.
What is more interesting is that Artha Tatwa chief Pradeep Sethy was the director with Orisons Mining and Minerals Private limited, a sister concern of the Orisons Group, promoted by Sagar himself.
According to sources in the CBI, the OPL was organised with funds of the money deposit collection companies. Ranjan Dash, one of the close associates of Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy, and the owner of the Swostik India had promoted the OPL team Balasore Baghas. Both Ray and Dash are in jail.
In order to trace the business transaction between these franchise owners and the OCA, the CBI continued to interrogate cricket officials, including Behera, treasurer Satya Mohanty, accountants duo Md Ahad and Shyama Prasad Rout, joint secretary Sanjiv Dutta and auditor Basant Behera.
The CBI, which intensified its investigation to find out the OCA’s money trail, is yet to believe Behera’s statements regarding expenses and that the entire money had been spent on promoting cricket and organising the OPL.
According to the OCA, Australian cricketer Michael Bevan was taking $35,000 per month as fees to guide and train the Odisha cricket team. The association claimed that it had spent Rs 57 lakh on hiring Bevan.
So far the OPL is concerned, which the Artha Tatwa had sponsored, another company Seashore, the official partner for the tournament and its television channel, had enjoyed the right to telecast the event.
“We are inquiring into all possible angles. If we are convinced that Behera has no role in roping in the money deposit collection companies to make the OPL a success, we will allow him to go. But, if we find his involvement, action will be taken according to the law. The investigation is going on,” said a CBI official.
In another development, the CBI today took Subhankar Nayak, the broker who was arrested yesterday, on a nine-day remand.
Sources said the CBI had a hunch that Nayak was the man who had used Seashore to influence bureaucrats, particularly a section of IPS officers.
The agency also questioned Seashore chief Prashant Dash’s son Pradeep for the third time again.
