CBI ARRESTS A COMMISSIONER OF SERVICE TAX AND THREE OTHERS IN AN ALLEGED BRIBERY CASE
The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Commissioner of Service Tax (an officer of 1990 Batch in Custom & Central Excise) of Haldia Commissionerate (West Bengal);his aide(a private person);a Director of a private company based at Haldia (West Bengal) and a courier ( private person) related to the said company in an alleged bribery case of Rs. 5 lakhs.
CBI has registered a case under section 120-B of IPC and 7,12 & 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC Act 1988. It has been alleged that the bribe was paid for showing favour by the accused public servant to the said company engaged in stevedoring & offshore cargo handling in Haldia Dock Complex in the official matter of assessment of their unpaid service tax by conducting perfunctory inquiry/investigation. CBI laid a trap and arrested Commissioner of Service Tax & his aide (a private person) from his official residence at Kolkata for accepting the last instalment of Rs. 5 lakhs from the courier (private person) on behalf of the said private company. The total bribe of Rs. 20 lakhs was allegedly demanded by the public servant . The Director of the said company & the courier (private person) who delivered the bribe money were also arrested.
Searches have been conducted at 13 locations in Kolkata, Haldia, Hyderabad and Guntur (AP) which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents. A cash of Rs.8.54 lakhs (approx) was also recovered from the official residence of the Service Tax Commissioner and incriminating documents like pass books, cheques etc of various bank accounts. Scrutiny of the documents are in progress.
The arrested accused persons(four) were produced today in the CBI Special Court at Alipore, Kolkata and were remanded to five days police custody.
Further investigation is in progress.
CBI Press Release – New Delhi, 16.05.2015
