HYDERABAD: Pastor Jerusalem Mathaiah, a key witness in the cash-for-vote scam, has told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu hatched the conspiracy to lure nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote for the TDP-BJP candidate in the MLC elections in 2015.
Mathaiah, who deposed before the ED on December 29, gave a statement that former TDP leader and now Congress working president A Revanth Reddy and Naidu had told him to lure Stephenson by offering a bribe of Rs 5 crore. The ED booked a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case based on the Telangana ACB FIR against Revanth and others.
In his statement (a copy of which is with TOI), Mathaiah narrated the sequence of events in 2015 during the elections to the Telangana legislative council. “TDP leader R Jimmy Babu told me that Naidu and Revanth wanted to have a confidential meeting with me in connection with the MLC elections (on June 1, 2015). Jimmy Babu told me to come to Mahanadu conference at Himayatsagar to discuss the issue directly with Naidu and Revanth. Jimmy Babu took me into a room behind the dais where Naidu and Revanth were present.”
Mathaiah further said in his statement: “In front of Naidu, Revanth told me to meet Stephenson and convince him to cross vote in favour of TDP candidate Vem Narender Reddy. Revanth told me that Stephenson will be paid Rs 5 crore if he votes in favour of Narender and Rs 3 crore if he abstains from voting. A flight ticket to Jerusalem was also part of the deal. He told me an amount of Rs 50 lakh would be paid to me as a goodwill.”
He said Revanth and Naidu told him that they would pay Rs 50 lakh as advance and the remaining amount after voting.
“I invited Stephenson as a chief guest at a programme in Bhoiguda and during the conversation I told him about Naidu’s offer. Stephenson told me that he wants to meet Revanth or Naidu or any authorised person from TDP. On return, I visited the house of Malcolm Taylor, an aide of Stephenson, and asked him to convince. I told Malcolm and another aide Antony that I would give a part of my share of Rs 50 lakh. After I got an assurance from Stephenson, I informed TDP Christian cell in-charge Harry Sebastian.”
Mathaiah further said, “Harry told me that he would inform Naidu and Revanth. Harry told me that Naidu also spoke to Stephenson from his mobile. They were preparing to pay the advance.”
He added, “Next day (May 31, 2015), the ACB arrested Revanth and others while he was offering Rs 50 lakh to Stephenson to make him vote for the TDP-BJP candidate. I came to know that they made me accused No. 4. I secretly visited the TDP office at Banjara Hills along with Jimmy Babu and met Nara Lokesh and informed him about my position. I was asked to go underground. So, I went to Vijayawada to hide for six months.”
Telangana government moved the Supreme Court in 2016 against Mathaiah after the high court quashed the case against him. In 2018, Mathaiah created a flutter outside the apex court premises by seeking to argue his case on his own and alleging threat to his life in both Telangana and AP.