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.

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"Asthana Apna Aadmi Hai”

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

"Asthana Apna Aadmi Hai”

Taped conversations blow the lid off in CBI

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct. 30

"Asthana Apna Aadmi Hai” this is how Somesh Prasad, a Dubai-based businessman told his father-in-law who had gone to collect money from Satish Babu Sana. The money was to be paid to the CBI' special Director Rakesh Asthana as Sana was facing CBI cases and wanted the help of the agency to dilute the same. The father-in-law who is a prominent Delhi lawyer was somewhat scared. But Somesh Prasad told him not to worry as “Asthana is our man”.

One of the WhatsApp messages found in January 2018 in these telephone intercepts says “he can't take panga (Mess ) with them”. The messages were exchanged between the two brothers and Somesh was impressing that Sana should not take “Panga” with Asthana.

None of the players realized that someone in the CBI was listening to this telephonic conversation. Somesh Prasad was sitting in Dubai and monitoring the entire payment plan and his brother Mahesh Prasad was camping in Delhi to complete the deal. Hyderabad-based businessman knew d Prasad brothers as he had businesses in Dubai too. Sana had sought their help to get out of the CBI cases and Prasad brothers were using their clout in the agency.

But they had no clue that their telephone conversations are being tapped Asthana's rival and CBI director Alok Verma. Verma had deputed A K Bassi, head of the anti-corruption unit of the CBI, to investigate the link between Sana and Prasad brothers and he tumbled upon this conversations.

The lid was blown off in the Supreme Court today when Bassi appealed against his transfer to Andaman and Nicobar Islands on October 24. He said this was "malafide and derails a sensitive probe" and added that allegations against Asthana are "grave". He also produced evidence in support of his statement before the apex court. AK Bassi has submitted in court details of WhatsApp messages and calls that he alleges prove Mr Asthana took bribe from a businessman, Sathish Sana, who wanted to be spared CBI summons in an investigation. He further sought an urgent hearing on his plea against the transfer on November 2. The top court said it will look into it.

Though Bassi did not share the evidence, it transpires that phone conversation tapes between Somesh Prasad and Asthana, Asthana's phone conversations with Mahesh Prasad and couple of other players are part of it.

The time-line of phone conversations between Asthana and RAW's number two Sumant Kumar Goel has also been submitted.

The leaking of these conversations and time-line of phone tapes are aimed at exposing how the CBI's number two was involved in taking bribes from Hyderababd businessman Satish Babu Sana through Mahesh Prasad. Sathish Sana has said in a statement to the court that Rakesh Asthana demanded a bribe of Rs. 5 crore from him. More dirt will come out in the days to come from the closet of CBI as war is taking a turn for the worse.

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