Additional commissioner and registrar Manohar Bhagaji Tribhuvan (54) of the State Co-operation Department was on Monday evening caught red-handed by ACB officials, Pune unit, while accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from a chartered accountant near the Pune railway station.
Tribhuvan, in charge of inspection and election in the department, will be produced before a special court on Tuesday afternoon. Tribhuvan’s arrest has sent ripples across the co-operative department as he is ranked second in the department after the co-operative commissioner.
ACB superintendent of police Vishwas Pandhare said the complainant, Jaywant Baburao Chavan (65) of Satara, was a member of the panel of auditors at the state and divisional level, which audits cooperative societies and banks.
According to Pandhare, Tribhuvan was responsible for allotting auditing work to chartered accountants on the panel. He had allotted the work of auditing the Jankalyan Co-operative Credit Society in Karad to Chavan on May 14, 2009.
Pandhare said Chavan’s fee depended on the turnover of the co-operative society and in this case came to Rs 9 lakh.
“Tribhuvan would allegedly collect 30% of the auditor’s fee as commission for giving work to chartered accountants. Tribhuvan allegedly demanded Rs 2.7 lakh from Chavan which he was supposed to receive after submitting the audit report,” Pandhare said.
“On Monday, Tribhuvan called Chavan and asked him to bring the money to his office in Central Building. But Chavan filed a case against him with the ACB. Chavan then visited Tribhuvan’s office around 6 pm, but Tribhuvan asked him to wait downstairs for him. After some time Tribhuvan came downstairs, sat in Chavan’s car and asked him stop the vehicle near Hotel Woodland. After collecting the bribe, he got out of the car and was caught redhanded by the ACB officials who had followed Chavan’s car,” Pandhare said.
WHAT IS STATUS OF MR TRIBHUVAN ?
ANY CLUES
Did any body remember Divisional Joint Registrar Pahinkar who was caught accepting bribe in the year 2008. Any idea what happened to him. Unfortunately nothing happens. Similar will be the case in the matter of Tribuvan also. Let RBI take over the complete control of Co-operative Banks. I am told that the audit of Co-operative Banks are done by audit assistants and the real CA comes into picture for putting the rubber stamp, sign and collect the fees. God save such system of audit. Let us pray that another Satyam do not take birth int he co-operative banking system. Sublog chor hai. Less said the better.
will it be appropriate to file two seperate applications under rti
1 for further action taken by the cooperative department against tribhuvan
2 to know the orders issued by tribhuvan in the month of may 09
&
was mr tribhuvan competant to issue such orders
Recently Mr Manohar Tribhuvan has attended Seminar on Audit of Co-Operative Societies arranged by Pune Chapter of WIRC as chief guest. During this seminar, one of Chartered Accountant asked to Mr Manohar Tribhuvan about fees charged for Audit of Co-Operative Society. He said that, this is social work and don’t look at fees.
And I have read news that he has accepted bribe for alloting audit work.
To solve this type of practice, The Institute of Chartered Accountant should look into the matter seriously.