MAA denies allegations of fraud

HYDERABAD: The ongoing controversy over alleged misappropriation of funds by the executive committee of Movie Artists Association (MAA) collected from a series of charity event has now taken a new turn. On Monday, the three members of executive committee denied all charges of being part of a money fraud and announced that if found guilty, they would bear the costs with personal property and step down from the post.

The issue surfaced last month when the committee was faced with allegations that the top brass of MAA got in cohorts with top actors and held charity events abroad to raise money for the association’s office space, but pocketed the money for their personal use. “There has been nothing like a fraud. Everything has been transparent,” stressed MAA treasurer Paruchuri Venkateshwara Rao. 

It is being alleged that a sum of `1 crore, which came from the profits of a tour which Chiranjeevi was part of in Dallas, has allegedly been siphoned off. “We could not have an auction for tenders to this concert as there were not many takers for such an event in the country. So we approached few people we knew abroad so that we could tap into that market,” added Srikanth, the association’s executive VP.

Rumours are rife that the present revelations have surfaced after an internal conflict among committee members, where some have revealed the details of the fraud to overthrow the present committee and win the next term. Notably, elections of MAA are slated in three months. 

Meanwhile, the present committee reiterated their dedication in working for welfare of the fraternity. “It was in our tenure that we began a pension scheme for 34 veteran actors wherein they get a monthly stipend of `3,000,  which had been scrapped before. If we were here for fraud, why would we do this ?,” added Shivaji Raja, MAA president.It must be noted that MAA has been in news for some years now for its intention to have a separate office.