NEW DELHI // J Jayalalithaa, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister and one India’s most powerful politicians, was on Monday acquitted of all charges in a two-decade-old corruption case.
The shock verdict by the Karnataka high court overturned Ms Jayalalithaa’s conviction in September of amassing wealth far in excess of her known income.
The ruling triggered raucous celebrations in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, where members of Ms Jayalalithaa’s party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which rules Tamil Nadu, set off firecrackers near her residence and at the party headquarters.
“Amma is back,” the AIADMK’s website exulted. Ms Jayalalithaa, 67, is commonly referred to by her supporters to as “Amma”, meaning mother.
“Justice has been restored,” said Ms Jayalalithaa, who was forced to step down as head of the Tamil Nadu state government after her conviction. “This verdict has facilitated me to emerge as gold refined by fire.”
Media reports contrasted the brevity of the high court’s verdict with the 19 years that the case has been in the courts.
The judge, C R Kumaraswamy, said the reasoning behind Ms Jayalalithaa’s conviction “suffers from infirmity”, and that many of the prosecution witnesses were unreliable. Prosecutors had not sufficiently proven Ms Jayalalithaa’s intent to acquire assets in a corrupt manner, he said.
The case dates back to 1996, when a rival Tamil politician, Subramanian Swamy, filed a suit alleging Ms Jayalalithaa had amassed assets disproportionate to her income during her first term as chief minister, from 1991 to 1996.
Investigators who raided Ms Jayalalithaa’s residence in 1997 found 28 kilograms of gold, 800kg of silver, 750 pairs of shoes, 91 watches, 10,500 saris and other valuables worth 660 million rupees (Dh38m) altogether.
Prosecutors argued that Ms Jayalalithaa bought defunct companies and used them to launder money obtained through corruption.
The case dragged on for years. In 2003, it was shifted from the Madras high court in Chennai to a trial court in Bengaluru, in neighbouring Karnataka state, for fear of political interference, since Ms Jayalalithaa was then in her second term as Tamil Nadu chief minister.
The lower court judge in Bengaluru, Michael D’Cunha, found that Ms Jayalalithaa’s net worth had increased by roughly 550 million rupees between 1991 and 1996, from just 850,000 rupees in 1987. The court found Ms Jayalalithaa guilty and sentenced her to four years in prison, with a fine of one billion rupees. Three of her aides were also convicted and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and fines of 100 million rupees each.
The high court judge’s ruling on Monday, however, said Ms Jayalalithaa’s “disproportionate assets” were in fact a permissible percentage of her declared income. He cleared Ms Jayalalithaa’s three aides of all charges as well.
Ms Jayalalithaa’s conviction could have effectively ended her political career since she would have been barred from contesting elections for six years after serving her sentence. She had stepped down as chief minister, installing a party loyalist in her place and gave up her seat in the state assembly after being found guilty last year.
Her acquittal allows her to return as head of the state government, though she will have to win re-election to the legislature within six months of doing so, either through a by-election or by calling early state elections.
Her party holds 150 out of 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly and won 37 out of the 39 parliamentary constituencies in the state in last year’s general election.
Ms Jayalalithaa was a successful Tamil movie star before joining the AIADMK in the early 1980s under the mentorship of the then chief minister, M G Ramachandran. Allegations of corruption have dogged her throughout her political career; over the past decade and a half, Ms Jayalalithaa has fought more than a dozen corruption cases, although she has been cleared in each of them.
Both Mr Swamy and the state of Karnataka can appeal the high court verdict in the supreme court, though neither party has indicated whether they will do so.
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Arrab, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mahaleel, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
3.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum handicap (TB) Dh200,000 2,000m; Winner: Dolmen, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Amang Alawda, Sandro Paiva, Bakhit Al Ketbi.
4.15pm: The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m; Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
4.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: Al Jazi, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
MO
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