The investigation into the Hyderabad Formula-E race has intensified, with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) reporting a series of alleged irregularities linked to former Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao (KTR). According to ACB officials, the high-profile event was orchestrated primarily to benefit a group of private individuals, and the previous government allegedly accepted their proposal without following due procedures. This, the agency claims, led to large-scale misuse of public funds. The ACB has accused KTR of abusing his authority during his tenure as Municipal Administration Minister. Formula-E Operations (FEO) representative Alberto Longo and private consultant Guvvada Krishna Rao have also been named as accused in the case.
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Preliminary findings suggest that no official government proposal existed to host the Formula-E race in Hyderabad. Instead, the ACB states that the initiative originated in November 2021 during discussions among private individuals. International sports consultant Guvvada Krishna Rao, listed as Accused No. 4, is alleged to have spearheaded the plan, holding talks with his associate Dilbagh Gill before presenting the concept at T-Hub on November 18, 2021. For financial backing, Krishna Rao reportedly approached Greenko founder Chelamallisetty Sunil. A follow-up meeting, attended by KTR and several senior government officials, indicated that the idea did not originate within official channels but was pushed by private parties, according to ACB.
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Following these meetings, the ACB alleges that KTR unilaterally decided to proceed with the race without securing formal government approvals. On January 17, 2022, a Letter of Intent was signed by FEO representative Alberto Longo, IAS officer Arvind Kumar, and Sunil, despite Arvind Kumar allegedly lacking the authorization to do so. To operationalize the project, Sunil established Ace Next Gen Pvt. Ltd., while Krishna Rao took charge of key responsibilities under a contract offering an annual salary of ₹1.9 crore. The ACB claims that Arvind Kumar acted solely on KTR’s directions and bypassed established protocols, enabling financial discrepancies and irregular agreements throughout the race’s execution.