Ex-Premier Charged in 2nd Fraud Case

Former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao was charged in a second corruption case, accused of complicity in a forgery designed to smear the son of a political rival. The charges by federal investigators came hours after a court rejected Rao’s petition for bail in the other fraud case, and increase the likelihood he will be ordered jailed when he appears Monday before a judge. The latest charges stem from alleged foreign exchange violations in the 1980s by the son of V. P. Singh, a politician who later would become prime minister. At the time, Singh’s son was accused of operating an illegal bank account in the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Ajeya Singh denied the accusation. Police allege Rao--who was then foreign minister--asked a consulate official in New York to authenticate what Rao knew were fabricated documents implicating Ajeya Singh.