Dubai: A senior minister from the western state of Goa has said that the law will take its course in the Mickky Pacheco case and that the former tourism minister will have to face the people when the time is right.
"No one is above the law even if he is an elected minister. The machinery is going about with its task and the people will know the truth shortly," Churchill Alemao, Minister for Public Works, Rural Development and Science and Technology told Gulf News.
Pacheco resigned as tourism minister earlier this month following his alleged involvement in the suicide of a married woman Nadia Torrado.
Responsibility
Alemao, who was in Dubai to attend a function, said: "Though he was the tourism minister, Mickky recently said that Goa is the rape capital of India," Alemao said. "As a minister he should have first understood the responsibilities that accompany a posting."
Alemao, a key member in the cabinet of the state coalition government headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, said he believed in the functionality of the law.
Access to records
"In a way it is good that Mickky has gone underground. The law machinery is getting adequate time and access to all records pertaining to the case, following their raids," Alemao said.
"I cannot stop the law from taking its course. At no point will a civilised society allow people, whatever their status, to take the law into their hands. No one is above the law. The investigations are on and the details of the inquiry will follow. One day the truth will be known and the people can then decide for themselves," he added.
The minister said that the government will continue its drive to make Goa a prime tourism destination. "Goa is the best tourism destination and people are aware of this. Our government is committed to improving on various aspects so that we maintain our top standing," Alemao said.
Smear campaign: ‘Tell me to my face'
Goan minister Churchill Alemao has dared his political opponents to come out in the open instead of running backstage campaigns to malign his name.
"There is a person called Arvind Mesquita [in the UAE] who is trying his best to smear my name at the behest of former minister Luizinho Faleiro. I visit the UAE regularly and if this person [Mesquita] is straight and has the guts, he must step forward and tell me on my face," Alemao told Gulf News.
"I am not a politician by nature, but I was forced to be in this position because of the will of the people who have elected me. I believe in development of my state and if there is someone who does not believe in the principles I stand for, then he should be man enough to step forward and tell me so on my face instead of running a campaign," he added.
