Messi Kerala visit row: Over ₹200 cr reaches sponsor’s accounts; GST seeks source of funds

Thiruvananthapuram: The investigation team probing the alleged fraud linked to plans to bring football star Lionel Messi and his team to Kerala has found suspicious transactions involving large sums credited to the bank accounts of sponsor Anto Augustin and Reporter Broadcasting Company. More than ₹200 crore was reportedly transferred to the sponsor’s account from two prominent external financial institutions. The GST department is expected to issue a notice to the sponsor seeking details of the exact source of the funds.

The money was credited to the bank account from two external accounts around the time the sponsor paid ₹126 crore in connection with Messi’s proposed visit. The investigation team also found that the amount was transferred to another account soon after it was credited. Although it has been claimed that the money was received as a loan, the investigation team has so far found no documents to substantiate the claim.

When questions were raised earlier about the matter, the sponsor had claimed that the match and stadium development were being funded with his own money and that he had not received funds from anyone.

However, the latest findings appear to contradict these claims. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intensified its probe into the case.