Thiruvananthapuram, 13 August (H.S.):Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Thursday confirmed that preliminary inquiries had detected GST irregularities in the agreement between a private media company and the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to bring the national football team to Kerala.

Satheesan said the previous LDF government had issued a GST notice to Reporter Broadcasting Company over the proposed visit. The company had claimed that ₹126 crore was transferred abroad as part of efforts to bring Lionel Messi and the former world champions to the State.

However, a GST intelligence officer in Kanhangad later found that the applicable tax had not been paid. A preliminary report collected by the government pointed to serious mismanagement, the Chief Minister said.

According to Satheesan, the GST violation was detected during the previous government’s tenure and a notice was issued. However, no further action was taken for the following seven months.

The Finance Department will conduct a detailed investigation to determine whether the State government suffered any financial loss. If a loss is established, measures will be initiated to recover the amount, he said.

The investigation will also examine the source of the money transferred abroad, possible violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and the role played by the State government in the proposed deal. It will assess whether the government’s interests were adequately protected.

Satheesan said the Sports Department had submitted a report detailing alleged irregularities connected with the plan to bring Messi and the Argentina team to Kerala. The government would study the findings before deciding on further action.

Responding to allegations that the report emerged after his visit to the Malayala Manorama headquarters in Kottayam, Satheesan rejected any connection. He noted that reports about the alleged irregularities had appeared across several media organisations.

The Chief Minister also dismissed speculation that the government intended to shut down a media channel, saying no such decision had been taken.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman