Ramalinga Raju declared pauper

Hyderabad, Jan 28: Ramalinga Raju, former chairman of the earstwhile Satyam Computers is a pauper.Sources in the Satyam Computers informed TNN here on Thursday that a judge in New York in the United States has declared Ramalinga Raju, his brother Rama Raju and the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Satyam Computers Vadlamani Srinivas as paupers.“All the three had confessed about inflating his company's assets by over $1 billion, have been declared 'paupers',” the verdict given by New York judge Barabara S Jones said.

With this declaration, Raju has been exempted from paying court costs.Similar 'pauper' status was given for Ramalinga Raju's brother Rama Raju and Satyam's former Chief Executive Officer Srinivas Vadlamani, the sources here revealed. The defendants had filed an "in forma pauperis" and for the appointment for a pro bono counsel in October 2009.According to the documents submitted before the court, the accused said that they are unable to engage an advocate in the US to defend themselves in the class action litigation and to pay any court fees or to meet any financial obligations which might be imposed by this court.

Hence, US District Judge Jones said, "The court finds that the defendants have adequately demonstrated that they are unable to pay costs as described in the federal law."However, the court denied the request for a pro bono counsel as the defendants are incarcerated in a foreign country and it would be unusually difficult for the appointed counsel to meet and otherwise competently represent defendants under the circumstances.