The ‘Lottery King’ who lavished parties with lakhs

The website of the Martin Foundation describes Santiago Martin, the creator and chairman of the Martin Group of Companies, as “a man whose story epitomizes the success of a man who built nothing, into an empire.”

He spent his working years in Myanmar and came back in the 1990s to expand his empire, never afraid to stir up trouble or mingle with political figures. And the greatest asset he had was a trait associated with politicians: the ability to predict which way the wind would blow.

Santiago Martin, sometimes referred to as the “Lottery King” of India, founded his empire on the aspirations of those who wanted to be successful in life.

Millions of individuals in areas like Kerala, Sikkim, West Bengal, Punjab, and Maharashtra continued matching the numbers on their tickets with the elusive magic number, and that’s when Martin struck the jackpot.

It is now clear that Martin also contributed to the success of political parties.

Santiago Martin’s organization topped the list of businesses that purchased electoral bonds and contributed to the funding of political parties that the State Bank of India made public.

The contribution from His Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt. Ltd. was Rs 1,368 crore.

The Congress has requested a CBI investigation, claiming that the BJP received crores from Martin’s firm. The party the contributions went to, however, cannot be determined with confidence based on the Election Commission’s released statistics.

According to the Martin Charitable Trust website, Martin started working in the lottery business at the age of 13.

He established a sizable marketing network of lotto dealers and purchasers in India. Martin Lottery Tickets, his lottery company, has grown on average by 109% every year.

Santiago Martin, a Coimbatore-based company, has commercial ventures outside of India. In addition, he works in Myanmar, where he had his first job.

Martin Myanmar and Martin Yangon are part of his Martin Group of Companies. Among other things, the businesses are involved in real estate, building, alternative energy, entertainment in visual media, hospitality, healthcare, and education.

He expanded from the lottery into the real estate, healthcare, and television broadcasting industries in India as well.

Martin Santiago was continually embroiled in controversy as his businesses expanded.

His first run-in with trouble came when he was charged with cheating the government of Sikkim out of Rs 4,500 crore. In 2023, that would come back to haunt him.

He became involved in a political financing issue in Kerala, a state with a significant lottery.

He gave Rs 2 crore to the mouthpiece and Kerala branch of the CPI (M), both under the leadership of the party’s current chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, in 2008.

Due to internal strife within the party, V. S. Achuthanandan confronted Vijayan about the payment, and Martin Santiago received his money back.

Martin cosy up to the DMK in Tamil Nadu. The work ‘Ilaignan’ was created by the former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi.

Aadhav Arjuna, Martin’s son-in-law, reportedly belonged to the inner ring of the DMK, which rules Tamil Nadu. He has recently joined the major Dalit party, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

According to a Deccan Herald article, Martin’s wife Leema Rose joined the BJP’s ally Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) in 2014 as the party was ready to win the Lok Sabha elections. She also made an appearance on stage with prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

But Santiago Martin’s political ties did not prevent him from approaching detectives.

The Income Tax Department conducted raids at Martin’s Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka locations in 2015.

Martin’s assets of Rs 457 crore were attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2023 in relation to a case involving the theft of the Sikkim government.

It has now come to light that Santiago Martin is the largest voter bond purchaser and has contributed to political party funding. The “Lottery King,” who enticed the general public with promises of prosperity, has undoubtedly given political parties millions of dollars and good fortune.