Reporter TV's Anto Augustine puts Argentina match plan squarely on Pinarayi Vijayan govt

Thiruvananthapuram: Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC) Managing Director Anto Augustine has placed responsibility squarely on the former Pinarayi Vijayan government for the proposed visit of the Argentina football team to Kerala, saying the government initiated the plan and approached him to sponsor the event.

He made the statement while deposing before the  Intelligence Officer, GST, Kanhangad, on August 3 in response to a notice over non-payment of tax. His claim clashes with a statement by former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman last month that the government would not incur any financial liability for the event, as the agreement to hold the match was signed between the Argentina Football Association and the sponsor.

In his deposition, which has come to light now, Augustine said the state government had approached him asking whether he was interested in organising a match in Kerala in association with the Argentina Football Association. The government had initially attempted to organise the event in collaboration with the Gold Merchants Association but approached Augustine after failing to raise the required funds.

“The government informed us that Argentina had agreed to come for the match. Even before approaching us, representatives of the Sports Department had travelled there, held discussions with Argentina representatives and reached an understanding to organise the match,” the deposition said.

Augustine said it was the government’s responsibility to secure all necessary permissions for the event and that the state government had obtained the required approvals from the Union sports and finance ministries.

The money was transferred based on the permission granted by the Union Sports Ministry. Though the government had told them that it would issue an order detailing the arrangements for the event, no such order was issued.

Augustine also said he had approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland after the Argentina team failed to come to Kerala as stipulated in the agreement.

Address denied in court, cited in GST deposition
Though Augustine argued in court that the Wayanad house where a large quantity of liquor was found did not belong to him, he had furnished the same address in his deposition before GST Intelligence last month.

In the deposition submitted to the Kanhangad GST Intelligence officer on August 3, Anto gave his address as 'Moongananiyil, Vazhavatta in Wayanad'.

Augustine had availed a ₹13.67 crore loan by mortgaging the house where the liquor stock was found. After he defaulted on repayment, the bank put the property up for auction and it was bought by his mother-in-law through an online auction. Only one person is reported to have participated in the auction.