The Andhra Pradesh CID has filed a chargesheet against former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, along with two others, in connection with a scam related to the A.P. Fibernet Project. The accused are accused of manipulating the tender process to favor a specific company for the project worth Rs 330 crore.
Naidu, who was overseeing the Energy, Infrastructure, and Investment Department at the time, allegedly recommended that the fiber net project be executed by his department instead of the IT Department. He also personally appointed a member with a criminal background to a council involved in the project.
The chargesheet further alleges that Naidu pressured officials to include certain individuals in tender evaluation committees, revoke blacklisting against certain companies, and award the tender to a specific company despite protests from other bidders.
The CID also claims that another accused, Sambasiva Rao, manipulated the tender process by appointing the aforementioned individual to various committees and allowing for irregularities in estimating project costs and selecting the winning bid.
The chargesheet details numerous irregularities in the project’s execution, resulting in significant financial losses to the government. Funds were allegedly misappropriated through a network of companies owned by associates of the accused.
During discussions in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, concerns were raised about the transparency and legality of the tender process for the project. Naidu defended the process, but investigations revealed potential conflicts of interest and illegal actions.
Naidu was later arrested in a separate case and faced court proceedings. He sought anticipatory bail in connection with the Fibernet Scam case but was denied by multiple courts. The case is pending in the Supreme Court for further hearings.
