Chief minister of Karnataka quits after he was implicated in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal relating to the illegal mining of iron ore
LONDON (TrustLaw) – The chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka resigned on Thursday after he was implicated in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal relating to the illegal mining of iron ore, The New York Times reported.
B.S. Yeddyurappa’s resignation follows the publication of a report by the state’s anti-corruption panel that accused him and his family of accepting $2 million from a mining company that was mining illegally in Karnataka state. Yeddyurappa and his family were also accused of selling land to the company at inflated prices.
A senior member of India’s opposition BJP party, Yeddyurappa had initially resisted calls to resign but, following the anti-corruption report’s release on Wednesday, BJP party leaders were said to have persuaded him to resign.
The report by the Karnataka ombudsman included 25,000 pages of supporting documents and accused a number of government officials and corporation of illegal activities, the New York Times said.
Yeddyurappa’s resignation came on the same day that India’s cabinet approved a bill to create an independent ombudsman to investigate allegations of corruption against ministers and lawmakers.
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