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Bhubaneswar: A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the Balasore and New Delhi residences of BJD’s Lok Sabha MP Rabindra Jena in connection with Seashore chit fund scam, Jena moved the Orissa High Court on Friday seeking anticipatory bail.
Jena mentioned in his plea that the Central agency is ‘deliberately’ putting him in trouble as the panchayat poll is approaching, court sources said. Since he is an elected representative of the ruling party, in view of the ensuing poll, he should be granted bail, sources quoted Jena’s bail plea.
On Thursday the CBI sleuths conducted searches at Jena’s New Delhi and Balasore residences as he failed to appear before the central probe agency in person. In its 9 January notice to the Lok Sabha MP, the investigating agency had asked him to appear before it in connection with the scam. The CBI had earlier grilled Jena on 13 January, 2015, and 10 December last year.
During the earlier interrogation, the CBI wanted to know from Jena about financial transactions that took place between his company ‘Supriti’ and the Seashore group. The allegation is that ‘Supriti’ had taken Rs 18 crore in loan from Seashore. Though Jena had already explained to the CBI that he had repaid the loan, the agency is far from satisfied and wants to interrogate him again.
The CBI notice to Jena had created a flutter in the BJD, as some of its leaders are already behind bar in connection with ponzi scams. BJD's Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy and Mayurbhanj MP Ram Chandra Hansdah had been arrested earlier in similar chit fund scam. While Tripathy is out on bail, Hansdah has been in Jharpada jail since November 2014.
