Thiruvananthapuram, 21 August (H.S.) :Fresh documents have raised questions over former Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman’s handling of the proposed visit of the Argentina national football team to Kerala.

A note sent by the minister’s office to the then Sports Department secretary on February 2, 2024, claimed that the Argentina team had agreed to play friendly matches in the State. However, no official communication from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirming such an agreement was available when the note was issued.

The document, submitted by Abdurahiman’s private secretary, Sathyapalan, reportedly became the basis for further action by the department. This included a visit by the minister and his delegation to Spain, purportedly to invite the Argentina team, and subsequent attempts to secure a sponsor for the ambitious project.

Copies of email exchanges between Abdurahiman and an AFA representative were attached to the note. None of the available emails, however, contains a firm assurance that the reigning world champions would travel to Kerala for friendly matches.

The former minister had reportedly been corresponding with AFA representatives by email for nearly two years. While some of those communications were later added to the official file, a substantial portion of the correspondence is said to be missing.

An inquiry conducted by Special Secretary N. Prasanth found that the Sports Department did not possess any formal agreement or memorandum of understanding concerning the proposed Argentina visit.

Meanwhile, a separate Special Investigation Team report submitted to the GST Commissioner has alleged tax evasion by Reporter Broadcasting Company in financial transactions connected with the project.

The inquiry also found that four GST officials had failed to initiate measures to assess and recover the tax allegedly due from the company. The SIT report is expected to be forwarded to the Chief Minister for further examination and appropriate action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman