BJP MLA Michael chargesheeted for forging Govt docs for his resort





Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has been chargesheeted by Goa police for forgery and cheating to construct his three start hotel at Baga – Nazri Resorts.

The case filed during Congress regime has been chargesheeted now before Mapusa JMFC, during the BJP regime, while the Assembly election is hardly few months away.

The alleged illegal hotel is however still running within 500 metres of the Coastal Regulation Zone.

Chargesheeted along with him are his partner Francis alias Frank Viegas and two retired officers of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority – former director Dr Naraina Sinai Varde and former draftsman Wilfred Aloysius Nicolau Joao.

The prime charge against them is preparing a forged NOC of the GCZMA, based on which all other permissions for the resort had been sought.

The NOC stated that the plot does not attract CRZ regulation since it is located beyond 500 metres of the High Tide Line when actually it was falling within the HTL.

A complaint in this regard was accordingly filed by Michael D’Souza, presently additional secretary of Finance, then looking after the GCZMA.

The blatant illegality was brought to the notice of the state authorities by a local lady, who was supplied information in this regard under RTI by the Calangute panchayat.

Before filing the chargesheet, the crime branch of Goa police had searched house and office of MLA Lobo last week, besides his partner Franky’s house.

The police in the investigation established with forensic evidence that the forged letter of NOC was prepared on the computer of the GCZMA, in connivance with the higher officials.

Crime Branch SP Kartik Kashyap, who confirmed having filed the chargesheet, refused to divulge any information.

However, as per the sources, the chargesheet lists out all the illegalities MLA Lobo was involved in.

According to information, the property originally belonged to Gurnek Singh Mann, a British national, who contracted out development and construction of a residential project to Lobo’s firm M/s One Stop.

Later on, Lobo bought the property from Mann and converted it into a resort, without even having all the required sanads in hand, disclosed the sources.

The police have thus charged Lobo and his partner Franky for producing this notarised forged document to the village panchayat as well as the town and country planning department in order to obtain construction licence and other relevant permissions.

All the four accused are charged for forgery for cheating, using as genuine a forged document, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and causing disappearance of evidence of offence.