[Assam] ‘Gogoi family has Rs 18-crore property in US’

[amlan saha]

Cannot speak for the other addresses in the article but Albany Street,
Cambridge, MA is mostly MIT property (I live in Cambridge); looks to me like
a cut and paste job from some associated (with his son-in-law or daughter?)
mention of the address as a place of residence for graduate studies?


On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 1:56 PM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com> wrote:

> I did a little quick math and the total value of these houses , approx. 18
> crore rupees, is really a puny
> amount by local standards, as far as housing value goes, $ 500,000 or so. A
> 3 BR. condominium
> like the one at Mountain View CA, itself would be almost 1.5 to 2 times the
> combined value of
> the three ( or is it four) houses/condos's reported value ( $ 600,000 to $
> 1,000,000).
>
> So, for one thing, the reported values mean little. For another, that CM
> Gogoi's son-in-law,
> from published accounts a Google executive, probably makes enough on HIS
> OWN to be able to
> afford  a $ 1,000,000 loan on one ( or a collection of houses) described
> here. People buy houses
> with long-term loans here, not with hard cash.
>
> Therefore, the value of the houses described could NOT be construed to
> point to the notion
> of assets disproportionate to the son-in-law's assets, leading to  casting
> aspersions on CM Gogoi
> or his wife being the financiers, from legitimate or corrupt sources.
>
> That may be the good news for CM Gogoi and his wife.
>
> The bad news probably lies elsewhere: the Ownership of the houses. Who
> is/are the Owners of these
> houses? The daughter and the son-in-law? The CM or his wife?
>
> Why that matters are:
>
> A: The son-in-law and the daughter are US residents, if not citizens. He
> probably earns enough, and she may too,
> to add to a tidy amount to be able to get a pretty good sized loan for a
> house in a high market value area like
> Mountatin View, California and Cambridge, MA ( home to MIT and Harvard
> etc.). But not so for  foreigners, like
> Tarun Gogoi or his wife, UNLESS they also have US Permanent Resident Visas
> ( Green Cards. They could
> however. That would be interesting to know if they do. Somebody should ask
> the CM that question.
>
> B: If they are not green-card holders, they probably bought them for cash.
> There is no reason for the son-in-law or
> daughter to purchase houses, on loan, for TG or his wife.  If any of these
> houses were bought with cash ( not on loan), that
> will be a good indication that someone other than the son-in-law or the
> daughter provided the cash. Be it the CM , or his wife,
> or some Hawala trader or some business owner or whoever.
>
> This could be easily verified from publicly available info. The
> lien-holders' names will be on the Titles of these houses
> if they are purchased with bank loans.
>
>
> Finally, EVEN if these houses were bought for cash and  from corrupt
> sources, the amounts are small fry, compared to those
> talked about in reference to Himanta Sarma for one. I am sure there are
> others. In that I agree with MM's view:
>
>        "See how large hearted he is!
>        He allows his henchman to take 4000Crores  and he  keeps only 18
> crores  as small tips."
>
>
> Just kidding!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 8, 2011, at 11:52 PM, Nava Thakuria wrote:
>
> >
> > Gogoi involved in embezzlement: KMSS
> >
> > GUWAHATI, Jan 8 – Peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti today
> > alleged that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is involved in embezzling the
> public
> > money of the State and part of the money laundered by him has been
> siphoned off
> > to the US to procure property there in the names of members of his
> family.
> >
> >
> > ‘Gogoi family has Rs 18-crore property in US’
> > The peasant organisation also demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegation
> and
> > dared the Chief Minister to make a public statement on the source of the
> money
> > used in procuring property in the US.
> >
> > Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here this afternoon, KMSS
> > secretary Akhil Gogoi alleged that the Chief Minister has several houses
> in the
> > US in the names of his wife Dolly Gogoi (12700 W Dodge Road, Omaha NE
> 69154),
> > daughter Chandrima Gogoi (701 Berry Ave, Los Angeles C A 94024) and
> son-in-law
> > Prasenjit Phukan (178 Ownes Ct Mountain View C A 94043; 143 Albany St,
> Cambridge
> > MA 02139 and Los Altos CA 94022).
> >
> > The money value of these houses when added together would be Rs 17, 88,
> 45, 050.
> > His daughter had declared while acquiring the property that her average
> annual
> > income was Rs 64, 42, 650, while her husband Prasenjit Phukan had made
> three
> > declarations stating that his average annual incomes were Rs 64, 42, 650,
> Rs 34,
> > 36,050 and Rs 72, 71, 250. Chief Minster's wife Dolly Gogoi declared that
> her
> > average annual income was Rs 29, 18, 650.
> >
> > The peasant organisation alleged that the Chief Minister requisitioned
> the
> > services of his 'scam-tainted' Ministerial colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma
> to
> > transfer part of the looted money to the US through hawala. This is why
> the
> > Chief Minister has so far been maintaining silence over the issue of
> Himanta
> > Biswa Sarma embezzling the public money of the State.
> >
> > The peasant organisation has collected the information concerning the US
> > property of the Chief Minister's family by using the website intelius.
> com, said
> > the KMSS secretary.
> >
> > It has hit out at Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief
> Bhubaneswar
> > Kalita for his 'halfhearted approach' in the matter of the corruption
> indulged
> > in by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
> >
> > The peasant organisation is holding a massive demonstration against
> corruption
> > at the Dispur Last Gate from 11 am on January 10 and it has appealled to
> all
> > patriotic people to take part in the programme. Noted RTI activist Arvind
> > Kezriwal and national convenor of the National Alliance of People's
> Movement Dr
> > Sandip Pandey will take part in the demonstration, said the KMSS
> secretary.
> >
> >
> >
> > GUWAHATI, Jan 8: Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Tarun
> Gogoi,
> > Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi today
> gave a
> > detailed account of property worth around Rs 18 crore in the form of
> houses
> > owned by the Chief Minister’s wife, daughter and son-in-law in the US.
> The KMSS
> > leader has dared the three to disclose their sources of income. He has
> also
> > demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter in order to unmask the truth.
> > Addressing a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club today, the KMSS
> leader
> > said: “According to documents produced by Gogoi’s wife Dolly Gogoi and
> daughter
> > Chandrima Gogoi while purchasing one house each in the US, their annual
> incomes
> > are Rs 29.18 lakh and Rs 64.42 lakh respectively. Gogoi’s son-in-law
> Prasenjit
> > Phukan, however, showed three different annual incomes — Rs 64.42 lakh,
> Rs 34.36
> > lakh and Rs 72.71 lakh — while purchasing three different houses in the
> US. I
> > appeal to the three to make their sources of annual income public.”
> > “We have no way out but to unmask the Chief Minister who has not paid any
> heed
> > to the deadline set by us for him to take action against his corrupt
> Cabinet
> > colleague, Himanta Biswa Sarma. It was followed by a 48-hour deadline set
> by us
> > for Gogoi to reply as to why he was not taking any action against the
> corrupt
> > minister though we had brought many corrupt practices of the minister to
> light.
> > We have to open our mouth today as the deadline set for the Chief
> Minister is
> > over,” Akhil Gogoi said, and added that minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was
> the key
> > man behind all the scams that had taken place during the tenure of Tarun
> Gogoi.
> > “Though we have exposed all the corrupt practices of Himanta Biswa Sarma,
> Gogoi
> > doesn’t take action against him as he is afraid of being unmasked if the
> > minister opens his mouth.”
> > The KMSS leader said: “Since when we have started our tirade against
> corruption,
> > people, including those staying abroad, have started to come on their own
> and
> > feed us with information. With the information received from NRIs, we
> have
> > approached the US embassy that has shown us the way to proceed. By making
> online
> > payment through a website (www.intelius.com) by credit cards, we have
> got access
> > to the documents of purchase of the houses by the family members of the
> Chief
> > Minister.”
> > The KMSS leader further said that apprehensive of being blackmailed by
> Himanta
> > Biswa Sarma, Gogoi ‘‘is now trying to keep Sarma at a safe distance from
> all
> > matters relating to the State administration’’. Himanta Biswa Sarma,
> according
> > to the KMSS leader, is the key man behind sending the ill-gotten money
> from the
> > State to foreign countries through hawala. “We will soon file cases
> against
> > Sarma in the Supreme Court and the High Court,” he added.
> >
> > Coming down heavily on Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president
> > Bhubaneswar Kalita, Akhil Gogoi said: “The Congress has failed to take
> action
> > against corrupt Himanta Biswa Sarma due to the weak leadership of
> Kalita.” He
> > also took a dig at the opposition parties by saying that despite the KMSS
> > exposing a large number of corrupt practices of the State Government, the
> > Opposition had failed to put adequate pressure on the government to act
> against
> > corrupt ministers.
> > Meanwhile, reacting to Akhil Gogoi’s revelations, AGP president Chandra
> Mohan
> > Patowary said: “Last year, the Chief Minister had announced that his
> government
> > would construct houses for flood- and erosion-affected people of the
> State.
> > Though the erosion-affected people have not got the promised houses,
> Gogoi has
> > successfully built a number of houses in the US. This is the real man
> hiding
> > within ‘clean’ Gogoi.”
> >
> > Akhil dares CM to reveal assets- RTI activist demands CBI inquiry
> >
> > Akhil Gogoi shows a photograph of Tarun Gogoi’s property in the US at the
> press
> > conference. Picture by Eastern Projections
> >
> > Guwahati, Jan. 8: Peasant leader and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi today
> claimed that
> > family members and relatives of chief minister Tarun Gogoi possessed
> property
> > worth over Rs 17 crore in the US and dared the latter to make public the
> sources
> > of the assets, including five houses.
> > Akhil, also the general secretary of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS),
> said
> > there were five houses in the name of the chief minister’s wife Dolly
> Gogoi,
> > daughter Chandrima and son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan at different locations
> in the
> > US.
> >
> > “The information collected by us showed that there was a house in the
> name of
> > Dolly Gogoi at Omaha and another at Los Altos in his daughter’s name.
> Three
> > houses in the name of his son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan are located at
> Cambridge,
> > Mountain View and Los Altos. We have strong suspicion that the property
> was
> > procured with public money and hence we dare the chief minister to let
> the
> > people of Assam know the source. We also demand a CBI inquiry into the
> assets,”
> > Akhil Gogoi said at a press conference.
> > Giving details and producing photographs of the houses, Akhil said the
> People’s
> > Interest Research Group, formed by the KMSS, collected the information
> with the
> > help of the American embassy and an information commerce company,
> intelius.com,
> > which provides consumers and businesses with predictive intelligence for
> > important decisions.
> > The chief minister’s office said Gogoi would comment after his return
> from New
> > Delhi. Media adviser Debo Bora told The Telegraph, “The chief minister
> will
> > react once he is back.”
> > Akhil alleged that huge corruption had taken place during Gogoi’s tenure.
> “The
> > Congress high command, including Sonia Gandhi, has been claiming that the
> party
> > is committed to fight corruption but we have seen no action against
> Gogoi,
> > health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other ministers involved in scams
> in
> > Dima Hasao district, Karbi Anglong and other departments,” the RTI
> activist
> > said.
> > Akhil, also the recipient of two national RTI awards, said they would
> launch a
> > massive campaign against the Tarun Gogoi government ahead of the
> forthcoming
> > Assembly elections.
> > “We will organise a dharna and observe a hatred day on Monday at Dispur
> Last
> > Gate to protest the massive corruption. Activist Sandip Pandey and Arvin
> > Kejriwal will take part and we request all concerned citizens to join us
> and
> > protest the corruption of the Congress government in Assam,” he said.
> > Akhil said four cases would be filed against Himanta Biswa Sarma and
> Tarun Gogoi
> > in the Supreme Court and Gauhati High court soon relating to
> disproportionate
> > assets and criminal cases.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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