"Grossly Illegal": Karti Chidambaram's Move Against CBI Over Raids

 

Karti Chidambaram was summoned for the second day by the CBI on Friday after being questioned for nine hours over accusations of partaking in an alleged “visa scam”.

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that his privileges and rights as a parliamentarian were breached by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) when they confiscated work documents during a raid last week.

“I have become the victim of a grossly illegal and patently unconstitutional action. The Central Bureau of Investigation, in the garb of conducting an investigation into an 11-year-old decision of the Government of India in which I have absolutely no involvement, raided my residence in Delhi,” he wrote in the letter to Om Birla.

“In the course of this so-called raid, certain officers of the CBI seized my highly confidential and sensitive personal notes and papers pertaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information and Technology, of which I am a Member,” Mr Chidambaram said.

Shockingly, even my draft notes and questions which I had intended to ask witnesses summoned to the Committee, were also seized. Furthermore. My handwritten notes pertaining to the depositions made to the Committee by Witnesses were also seized — for reasons best known to the Agency,” he wrote.

“These actions by the CBI, in so far as they relate to interference with my duties as a Parliamentarian, amount to a direct assault upon the democratic principles on which our Parliament is founded. I, therefore, urge you to take immediate cognizance of this issue, which is a brazen breach of my Parliamentary privilege,” the Congress leader added.

Mr Chidambaram said he and his family have been “targets of a relentless campaign by the present Government and its Investigating Agencies, who are trying to silence our voices of dissent by foisting one fake case after another” over the course of the past few years.

“Such targeted intimidation of a Member of the House amounts to a breach of privilege,” he said.

The Congress MP was summoned for the second day by the CBI on Friday after being questioned for nine hours over accusations of partaking in an alleged “visa scam”. “It’s their privilege to call me, and it’s my duty to go,” he told the media on his way.

The son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has been accused of taking ₹ 50 lakh as a bribe along with his close aide S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of a company which was setting up a power plant in Punjab.

The CBI in its First Information Report, or FIR, said the work for setting up the power project was being executed by a Chinese company and was running behind schedule. To re-issue visas for 263 Chinese workers on the project, the ₹ 50 lakh bribe was allegedly paid, according to the CBI FIR.

Karti Chidambaram has denied all the allegations. “If this is not harassment, not a witch hunt, then what is?” the Congress MP said in a statement yesterday.

CBI Arrests Real Estate Firm Chairman In Yes Bank-DHFL Scam Case

 The CBI suspects that illegal funds were routed through several real estate companies based in Maharashtra

The CBI today arrested Avinash Bhosale, chairman of Pune-based ABIL group that is into real estate, in an alleged corruption case involving Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and Kapil Wadhawan of DHFL, officials said.

The CBI suspects that illegal funds were routed through several real estate companies based in Maharashtra, they said.

The agency had carried out searches at the premises of some builders in the state on April 30 to further probe on this aspect of the case, they said. The premises of ABIL and Mr Bhosale were also searched during the operation.

The CBI has now arrested Mr Bhosale in a 2020 case against Mr Kapoor and Mr Wadhawan, among others, for alleged corruption.

The CBI recently arrested Sanjay Chhabria of Radius Developers in the case. The probe agency alleged that Mr Kapoor entered into a criminal conspiracy with Mr Wadhawan for giving financial aid to DHFL through Yes Bank in return for substantial undue benefits to himself and his family members through companies held by them, officials said.

According to the CBI First Information Report (FIR), the scam started taking shape between April and June 2018, when Yes Bank invested ₹ 3,700 crore in short-term debentures of scam-hit DHFL.

In return, Mr Wadhawan allegedly “paid kickback of ₹ 600 crore” to Mr Kapoor and family members in the form of loan to DoIT Urban Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd, officials said.

DoIT Urban Ventures is held by daughters of Mr Kapoor — Roshini, Radha and Rakhee — who are 100 per cent shareholders of the company through Mogran Credits Pvt Ltd, the investigators have said.

The loan of ₹ 600 crore was sanctioned by DHFL to DoIT Urban Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd on the basis of mortgage of sub-standard properties having meagre value and by considering its future conversation from agricultural land to residential land, the probe agency alleged.

It was further found that DHFL had not redeemed the amount of ₹ 3,700 crore invested by Yes Bank in its debentures till date, it said.

Yes Bank also sanctioned a loan of ₹ 750 crore to RKW Developers Pvt Ltd whose director is Dheeraj Wadhawan and is a DHFL group company for their Bandra reclamation project, which was transferred by it to DHFL without any investment in the project for which it was sanctioned, they said.

”Rana Kapoor obtained undue pecuniary advantage from DHFL in the matter of investment in the debentures of DHFL by Yes Bank, through the companies held by his wife and daughters,” the FIR said.

CBI files FIR against Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari, daughter in appointment scam

 CBI files FIR against Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari, daughter in appointment scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against West Bengal minister of state for school education, Paresh Chandra Adhikari and his daughter on Thursday. The CBI filed the FIR after he failed to meet the deadline set by the Calcutta High Court for appearance before the agency in connection with the alleged illegal appointment of his daughter as a teacher in a state government-aided school.

Adhikari and his daughter were booked under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Calcutta High Court had initially ordered Paresh Adhikari to appear before the CBI by 3 pm on Thursday. However, Adhikari’s lawyers told the court that he would reach Kolkata airport by 6:30 pm. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay then asked the Bidhannagar police to take him to the CBI office as soon as he lands at the airport.

The court also said that if Adhikari was found missing on the flight, it would be treated as a hoax to escape the court and the matter will be dealt with accordingly.

According to a CBI official, Adhikari had mailed the agency, seeking more time to appear before them. “He has written to us seeking more time to appear before the officers in connection with the ongoing investigation. We are ready to question him,” he added.

Earlier, the court has ordered the minister to appear before the CBI on May 17. The court was hearing a petition filed by a candidate who claimed that she was deprived of the position despite having secured higher marks than Paresh Adhikari’s daughter in the recruitment examination.

However, the TMC leader had failed to make an appearance on Wednesday. He also failed to meet the 3 pm deadline set by the court on Thursday

NSE scam: Court defers order on bail plea of Chitra Ramkrishna, Subramanian

 

A special CBI court here on Monday deferred the verdict on the bail applications of former NSE head Chitra Ramkrishna and former employee Anand Subramanian, who were arrested by the probe agency

A special CBI court here on Monday deferred the verdict on the bail applications of former NSE head Chitra Ramkrishna and former employee Anand Subramanian, who were arrested by the probe agency in connection with the NSE co-location case.

The special CBI judge of the Rouse Avenue court deferred the order for May 12.

Both Ramkrishna and Subramanian, currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, have been charge sheeted under various sections of the IPC.

The co-location scam denotes how some of the brokers, who in the co-location facility offered by the NSE, could place their servers within the stock exchange premises giving them faster access to the markets, had in connivance with insiders abused the algorithm and the facility to make windfall profits.

The CBI is probing the matter since May 2018.

Recently, the SEBI had imposed a fine of Rs 3 crore on Ramkrishna, following the market regulator finding that she allegedly shared vital inputs about the NSE with a mysterious Himalayan yogi, including information on “organisational structure, dividend scenario, financial results, human resource policies and related issues, response to regulator”.

On April 1, 2013, Ramkrishna became the CEO and MD of NSE. She brought Subramanian to the NSE as her advisor.

Subramanian was made the Chief Strategic Advisor of NSE. He served at this post between 2013 and 2015 before being made Group Operations Officer and Advisor to the MD between 2015 and 2016, despite having no exposure to the capital market.

Previously working as a mid-level manager in Balmer and Lawrie, he had seen his salary increase from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1.68 crore annually, and then to Rs 4.21 crore.

Subramanian quit NSE in October 2016 and Ramkrishna in December 2016.

The CBI swung into action in the case in 2018 and has been probing the matter since then.

CBI case against Babul Supriyo's former staffer over corruption charges

 

CBI has registered a case against TMC leader Babul Supriyo’s former staffer over corruption charges.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case of corruption against Sushanta Mallick, a former staffer of the then Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo, who quit BJP and joined Trinamool Congress a few months back.

Babul Supriyo was the Heavy Industries Minister from July 2016 to May 2019. According to the FIR, executives of a Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL), under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, were involved in corruption along with the then staffer of Babul Supriyo.

According to CBI, the then executives of EPIL conspired and demanded Rs 50 lakh from Ashutosh Bandhopadhayay, for providing favour for the tenders awarded and being awarded by EPIL during the period 2016–2017.

“Verification has revealed that out of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 40 lakh were to be given to SPS Bakshi, the then CMD, EPIL and Rs 10 lakh were to be given to Harcharan Pal, the then Executive Director (Contracts) and Paritosh Kumar Praveen, the then Manager (Grade II), EPIL. Verification has revealed that SPS Bakshi had got conveyed to Ashutosh Bandhopadhayay through S Tyagi, the then DGM (contractual basis) that out of the bribe amount of Rs 40 lakh, Rs 5 lakh be transferred into the bank account of Sushanta Mallick, staff of the then Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises,” the FIR read.

Ashutosh Bandhopadhayay allegedly transferred Rs 5 lakh into the bank account of Sushanta Mallick in December 2016 when Babul Supriyo was serving as the minister.

CBI has booked Sushanta Mallick along with others on charges of criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Babul Supriyo quit BJP and joined TMC in September 2021.

Yes Bank scam: CBI arrests Radius Group MD, Sanjay Chhabria

 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the Yes Bank scam Thursday arrested builder Sanjay Chhabria of the Radius group, sources said.

Radius Group was one of the biggest borrowers on the erstwhile DHFL with an outstanding loan with interest of around Rs 3,000 crores for a residential project in suburban Mumbai. The project is a joint venture between Radius and Sumer Group.

Radius group spokesperson wasn’t immediately available for a comment.

The promoters of erstwhile DHFL, Kapil and Dhiraj Wadhawan are currently in jail in connection with the cases registered by CBI and the Enforcement Directorate for the alleged fraud caused to Yes Bank in connivance with the bank’s cofounder Rana Kapoor who is also lodged at Taloja jail on the outskirts of Mumbai.

In September, Piramal Capital and Housing Finance’s (PCHF) had completed the acquisition of DHFL for Rs 34,250 crore which includes a cash component and non-convertible debentures.

As per the CBI, Rana Kapoor, a cofounder of Yes Bank, and his family members had allegedly received kickbacks of around Rs 600 crore for an investment of Rs 3,700 crore made by the bank in housing finance company DHFL’s debentures.

CBI in its two chargesheets filed against Kapoor, his family members and four former junior employees of the bank in connection with the corruption case, which pertains to the loans given to the now bankrupt financial firm DHFL. The accused were summoned and the hearing in the matter was scheduled for Saturday

According to the CBI’s first chargesheet filed last year, in June 2018, Kapoor, then the head of Yes Bank’s management credit committee, sanctioned a loan of Rs 750 crore on an application by DHFL promoters, Dheeraj Wadhawan and his brother Kapil Wadhawan, in the name of Belief Realtors Pvt Ltd for development of a Bandra Reclamation Project.

Readmore:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/yes-bank-scam-cbi-arrests-radius-group-md-sanjay-chhabria/articleshow/91157593.cms

CBI begins 3 separate probes against former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh in corruption cases

 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated three separate investigations into former Mumbai top cop Parambir Singh in connection with corruption allegations.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched three separate investigations against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on charges of extortion, bribery, and corruption.

The federal investigation agency recently took over five FIRs lodged by the Maharashtra Police against Param Bir Singh on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The CBI has named former police officer Pradeep Sharma, along with Param Bir Singh, as an accused in one of the preliminary investigations. The National Investigation Agency arrested Sharma in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case

According to the complaint, social worker Rakesh Arora alleged that Param Bir Singh and Pradeep Sharma were involved in corruption and took bribes from gambling club owners in Maharashtra’s Thane.

In another preliminary inquiry, the CBI will question Param Bir Singh and businessman Jitu Navlani.

According to allegations, Param Bir Singh has illegally invested over Rs 1,000 crore in real estate through Jitu Navlani, as well as several thousand crores in other businesses.

To Know More:https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/cbi-begins-separate-probes-against-param-bir-singh-corruption-cases-1942315-2022-04-27

Confidence among UK factories drops by most since start of COVID crisis - CBI

 Optimism among British manufacturers has fallen at its fastest pace since the onset of the coronavirus crisis as orders slowed and prices leapt, a survey showed, adding to signs of a slowdown in the economy on the back of rising inflation.

The Confederation of British Industry said its quarterly measure of confidence among factory firms plunged to -34% from -9% in the three months to January, hitting the lowest since April 2020.

Anna Leach, deputy chief economist at the CBI, said manufacturing orders and output continued to grow, albeit at slower rates and the war in Ukraine was exacerbating COVID-related supply problems.

That was pushing up costs and concerns over the availability of raw materials by the most since the mid-1970s.

“It’s little wonder that sentiment has deteriorated sharply over the past three months and manufacturers are now scaling back their investment plans,” Leach said.

Over the three months to April, growth in output volumes slowed to +19% from +27% — still above a long-run average of +4% — and new orders also rose more slowly +22% compared with +38% in the three months to January.

Firms expected growth to slow further over the next three months.

Average costs grew at the fastest rate since July 1975, with a net balance of 87% of firms reporting increases, up from +74% in January. Domestic prices grew at the fastest pace since October 1979, with a net balance of +60% compared with +40% in January.

However, a monthly version of the CBI survey showed price pressures were expected to ease in the three months ahead while total orders growth slowed to +14% in April from +26% in March.

To know more:https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/confidence-among-uk-factories-drops-by-most-since-start-covid-crisis-cbi-2022-04-25/