Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu found himself in a significant legal predicament on Sunday when an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court ordered his detention for 14 days in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation. This development follows his arrest on Saturday by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in relation to his alleged pivotal role in the high-profile Rs 371-crore Andhra Pradesh skill development scam case.
The case revolves around the establishment of the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) in 2014, which aimed to provide training opportunities to unemployed youth and foster collaborations with educational institutions located near industrial hubs such as the Kia facility in the Anantapur district. Investigators have contended that the leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Chandrababu Naidu, played the role of the "principal conspirator" and orchestrated a fraudulent scheme under the guise of the APSSDC, involving a substantial sum of Rs 371 crore.
During Chandrababu Naidu's tenure as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2019, the state government entered into a partnership with the renowned German engineering conglomerate Siemens for the implementation of the APSSDC initiative. Siemens was entrusted with the responsibility of establishing six centers of excellence as part of the project's objectives.
However, the controversy surrounding this case arose from the fact that the state government disbursed the entire amount of Rs 371 crore for the project, even though Siemens had not contributed any financial resources to the endeavor.
Chandrababu Naidu's arrest was carried out based on relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 120B (pertaining to criminal conspiracy), 420 (relating to cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), and 465 (associated with forgery). Additionally, the Andhra Pradesh CID invoked the Prevention of Corruption Act against him, intensifying the legal implications of the case.
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