Hyderabad:

BRS working president KT Rama Rao, popularly known by his initials KTR, has appeared for questioning in the Formula E race case, with a stern message that he has all the answers. Mr Rao, who was summoned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today, is the prime accused in the case related to the alleged “unauthorised” payments to conduct the Formula E race.

The Telangana High Court has allowed KTR’s lawyer to accompany him to the ACB office, but he is not allowed in the interrogation room. He can track the questioning from across a glass window in an adjacent room.

CCTV recording is not allowed for the questioning session.

Read more: “Cacophony Won’t Silence Me”: KTR As Court Rejects Dismissing Corruption Case

Ahead of appearing before the ACB, KTR said whatever he did was to improve Hyderabad’s brand image.

“As the son of Telangana’s former chief minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, I will die for Telangana if needed but won’t bow in front of such people. I have the answers to all questions. Whatever I did was to enhance the brand image of Hyderabad,” he told reporters.

Earlier in the day, he shared a footage from a podcast talking about the race and said he worked tirelessly for bringing a prestigious event to India. KTR said his agenda was to make Hyderabad a pivotal hub for sustainable mobility and the Formula-E race was a part of the effort to realise this vision.

The former state minister said he intended to make TMV (Telangana Mobility Valley) clusters the epicentre for innovation, research, and manufacturing of electric vehicles creating employment and revenue. “Small minds who are driven by petty politics may never understand any of this but I am confident that people of Telangana who are observing everything will understand the truth and the vision,” his online post read.

Read more: KTR Faces Corruption Case Over Alleged Irregularities In 2023 Formula E Race

Another accused in the case – senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar – appeared before the ACB yesterday.

Dramatic scenes unfolded at the ACB headquarters on Tuesday after KTR’s lawyer was not allowed to accompany him inside. KTR refused to be questioned and left without appearing before the anti-corruption officials. He was then issued a fresh notice for Thursday and the court allowed his lawyer to accompany him to the office.

The Formula E race case was registered last month against KTR, who was Municipal Administration Minister during the BRS regime, and two others over alleged payments for conducting the race in 2023. Most of the payments were allegedly unauthorised and in foreign currency, and led to losses worth about Rs 55 crore.

The race was to be held in February 2024, but it was cancelled after a change in government in December 2023.

New Delhi:

BRS working president KT Rama Rao asserted that he has “done nothing wrong” and termed the charges of corruption in the Formula-E race case as “politically motivated”.

Telangana High Court on Tuesday dismissed the quash petition filed by him in the Formula-E race case.

“I am hoping that I will get a positive result in the Supreme Court. This case that has been foisted in me is a frivolous case which has no substance…I do hope the Supreme Court will hear my plea and will deliver justice…I have asked the anti-corruption bureau officers as to what their objection is to taking my lawyers along with me…,” KTR told ANI a day earlier.

“I will make a request in High Court about it…It is a politically motivated case…I have nothing to hide and I have done nothing wrong…,” he added.

Notably, the court also revoked the prior order that prevented his arrest.

Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is investigating KTR’s alleged involvement in a money laundering case over alleged financial irregularities linked to the Formula E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023.

On Monday, the ACB summoned KTR to its office in Hyderabad for questioning in connection with the case.

On December 19, Telangana ACB registered a case against the KTR over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct a Formula E race in Hyderabad during the previous regime.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against KTR and others in the case.

Enforcement Directorate filed the ECIR after the Telangana ACB registered a First Information Report (FIR) against KTR and others in the Formula-E funding case.

The FIR lists KTR as the primary accused, with senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and retired bureaucrat BLN Reddy named as the second and third accused, respectively.

The case was filed under applicable sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with provisions of the IPC related to criminal breach of trust and conspiracy.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a money laundering case against BRS leader K T Rama Rao and some others in a case linked to alleged payment irregularities during the Formula-E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023, official sources said.

An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) has been registered under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act taking cognisance of a Telangana Police Anti-corruption bureau (ACB) FIR filed on Thursday, the sources said.

The accused in the ED case are the same as those mentioned in the ACB FIR, they said.

BRS leader and party working President K T Rama Rao, the son of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, has been named as accused no 1 followed by senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and retired bureaucrat BLN Reddy as accused no 2 and 3 in the ACB complaint.

This is the second money laundering case against the family of BRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao as his daughter K Kavitha was questioned and later arrested by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case.

Kavitha is now out on bail and the case is before the court.

The probe against 48-year-old Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, pertains to alleged payments of about Rs 55 crore, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct a Formula-E race in Hyderabad during the previous regime in February last year.

He had denied any wrongdoing, saying “Where is the corruption in this? We have paid Rs 55 crore. They (Formula-E) acknowledged the payment.” He added that it was a “straightforward” account.

“The HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) has an account in the Indian Overseas Bank and money has been transferred from that account…” KTR had said reacting to the ACB case.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also attacked Rama Rao for these alleged irregularities, saying about Rs 500 crore was saved with the state government under him deciding against further transfer of funds to the organisers of the racing event.

Rama Rao, who was the Municipal Administration minister during the BRS regime, was instrumental in hosting the race last year in Hyderabad.

Though the race was supposed to be held in February this year as well, it was cancelled after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023.

In a linked development, the Telangana High Court on Friday directed the ACB officials not to arrest Rama Rao till December 30 as part of their investigation into the case.

High Court judge Justice Natcharaju Shravan Kumar Venkat was hearing a Lunch Motion petition moved by Rama Rao seeking to quash the FIR filed against him by the ACB.

Governor Jishnu Dev Varma had recently granted permission to the ACB to register the case against Rama Rao.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)