Moin Qureshi case fall out

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Exclusive report

Moin Qureshi case fall out

Govt seeks pay offs to top CBI officials from abroad

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov 28

The government is seeking specific information from various countries including Dubai (UAE), Singapore, Hong Kong, UK and other world destinations whether huge payments have been made to certain officials.

The government has specific information, based on investigations done by its agencies including Income Tax that controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi had paid crores of rupees through hawala operator Sathish Babu Sana and Sukesh Gupta of Hyderabad.

These payments have been made through hawala channels over a period of six years since the days when A P Singh was CBI director. Singh was asked by the Modi government last year to step down from the UPSC as inquiries are on against him. Even his successor Ranjit Sinha is also under the scanner. Now the allegations of huge pay off s surfaced against exiled CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana. Alarmed by series of bribery allegations against the directors of the anti-corruption watch dog, the government has decided to play tough. It decided to send

Letters Rogetory (LRs) to several countries containing names of at least 10 officials who served the government or retired. These sources refused to confirm the names of these officials mentioned in the LR s. None of them was willing to say whether the name of exiled director of CBI figures in the LR. But they confide that the Modi government is determined to cleanse the CBI and other such probe agencies with a heavy hand now.

It has emerged that Sathish Babu Sana was the conduit of channeling the illegal gratification on behalf of Moin Qureshi and channelised extorted money on his behalf. The Prasad brothers in Dubai were also part of this operation. Qureshi & his family members held several bank accounts in various countries. The agencies have given a list of 55 foreign bank accounts into which proceeds of crime were found transferred in seven countries. These were in the US France, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Italy and the UAE. .

Qureshi has been extorting and obtaining illegal money from various persons for getting their work done through public servants, said a source in the CBI.

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CVC grilled Sana for 8 hours in Bribery case

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Special report

CVC grilled Sana for 8 hours in Bribery case

Hyderabad business Sana allegedly paid bribes to CBI officers

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Nov 14

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) grilled Hyderabad businessman Sathish Babu Sana for more than eight hours, a key player in the Verma-Asthana feud in CBI,

The 8-hour grilling, spread over for two days, was held under the supervision of Justice A K Patnaik at the CVC headquarters. The CVC wanted to get at the bottom of the truth as Special Director Rakesh Asthana had alleged that he paid Rs 2 crores to CBI Director. Alok Verma countered it saying that Sana paid bribed to Rakesh Asthana.

Highly placed sources say that prima facie, the CVC report found no significant evidence against Verma. The CVC report raised some questions that require a separate and detailed probe and wanted more time to complete the probe.

The CVC felt that Sana was using one CBI officer against the other to wriggle out of the Moin Qureish case in which he was a conduit in hawala operation.

Asthana was the officer incharge in the Moin Qureshi case. Verma alleged that Asthana was extorting money from Sana since the very beginning. Later, Sana complained to Verma of extortion which led to registration of FIR against Asthana.

The CVC grilled Alok Verma for two days, Rakesh Asthana once and other officers who were dealing with the Moin Qureshi case. The CVC probe also focused on IRCTC Hotel case of Lalu Prasad Yadav and cattle smuggling case involving a senior BSF officer caught with unaccounted for cash in Kerala.

When Justice Patnaik asked Verma why Satish Babu Sana, was not booked under charges of giving bribe, he said the amended provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act gave protection if a person is forced to give bribe. The protection is available if he reports the extortion within seven days. Verma explained that though Sana had started paying bribe in December last year, giving bribe became an offense only in July 2018. Since Sana paid another bribe through Hawala and reported it to the CBI within seven days, action was taken.

Asthana had alleged that Sana paid Rs 2 crores to Verma on October 1, 2018 and signed the confessional statement on October 4, 2018.

But in a strange twist, Sana switched sides and made a counter allegation that he paid bribes to Asthana. Verma registered an FIR against Asthana and others for allegedly taking more than Rs 3 crores to scuttle probe against him. The money was paid over a 10-month period -- starting from December 2017.

ends

Fly on the wall : Even Padma Awards linked with Aadhaar

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Even Padma Awards linked with Aadhaar

Prime Minister Modi's liking for Aadhaar is setting a new milestone with the each passing day. The Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha who headed the Padma awards committee directed that all nominations for 2018 must be linked to Aadhaar. It has been decided that all nominations /recommendations for Padma Awards should be sent online only on the Padma portal designed specially by Ministry of Home Affairs. Anybody contemplating to recommend a person's name for these awards, must have Aadhaar card and the person who recommends first obtain an OTP number and feeds the OTP in the system and then alone he or she can make a recommendation. Cabinet Ministers, Governors and those holding key political posts have been signaled they shouldn't make recommendations in a routine manner. The Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories have been told to route recommendations through state governments. This was a signal to Pudducherry Governor Kiran Bedi that the mandate is for an elected government.

How Rudy was shown the door

“Fly” learnt an interesting tail how Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy's resignation went through the motions days before the major Cabinet rejig on September 3. Rudy was traveling when summoned by Shah on September 1. It is no secret that Shah calls the shot these days and scond in command; be it party or the government. Shah was sitting with General Secretary Ram Lal when Rudy was called inside the room. Without mincing words, Shah told Rudy, “The PM wants your resignation.” Rudy knew it was coming. Yet he developed the courage to ask, “When do I resign, Sir?” Shah shot back without blinking, “Right now.” Rudy's next raised eyebrows, “Shall I give it to you sir or to the PM?” Now Rudy got another shocker: No, you give it to Ram Lalji.” Rudy recovered and asked politely, “Shall I write the resignation here sir ?” Shah said, “No, you write in the ante room. Ram Lalji will collect.” Rudy handed over the letter to Ram Lal who emerged after a long time.

Nirmala at Number 26 in pecking order !

Nirmala Sitharaman may have jolted the nation all when PM Modi promoted her as Defence Minister. She became a key member of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) too in her capacity as Defence Minister. But if one examines the official website of the government listing names and portfolios of Council of Ministers, Nirmala Sitharaman's name figures at number 26. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is the only Cabinet Minister who figures below her at number 27. All Cabinet Ministers including Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Maneka Gandhi are ranked upward in the serial. Efforts to elicit response didn't succeed. But sources in the BJP said that its the seniority in the party that matters most and now what you are in the government. She is the youngest member to join the BJP. Then why Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi listed below her ? The Fly didn't get a response. Some consolation !

Ex-CBI Director counting his days

Two former CBI directors – Ranjit Sinha and A P Singh – are facing tough times. While Sinha's case is being monitored by the Supreme Court directly after M L Sharma headed SIT submitted its report. But A P Singh seem to be counting his days as Enforcement Directorate (ED) has gathered enough evidence to book him in the money laundering case. His alleged accomplice meat exporter Moin Qureshi is in the ED custody and payment of Rs 1.75 crores to Qureshi to help a Bengaluru-based person in a CBI case, has sealed the fate. The BBM messages on mobile phones exchanged between Qureshi and Singh and other evidence have exposed the scam. The days seem to be numbered and it may happen sooner than expected. Singh was made to quit prematurely by the government from the UPSC and now his arrest is matter of days.

The turn of the nephews now

In a country of dynasties, the unmarried leaders can claim to be free from any such pressure. But not any more. It now transpires that BSP supremo Mayawati may launch her nephew Aakash shortly in politics. Since her brother Anand is involved in some cases with ED and IT and is a low profile person, Mayawati wants her legacy to be transferred to Aakash who has completed management studies from London. Similarly, Navin Patnaik may promote Arun Patnaik, son of his elder brother Prem Patnaik. Navin Patnaik sounded his sister Geeta Mehta. But she opted out and returned to the USA. Navin is now old and even sick as well. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is already replying heavily on her nephew Abhishek Banerjee who is a Lok Sabha MP.