The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked its Special Director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case, naming him as an accused in an FIR filed earlier this week. The CBI has booked Asthana in the FIR on Tuesday, and the move has a huge impact on the reputation and credibility of the federal agency, as Asthana is the senior most officer of CBI after director Alok Verma.
Asthana has been named as accused number one for demanding and taking a bribe from a businessman under investigation in the Moin Qureshi corruption case by a special investigation team (SIT) that he was heading.
Meanwhile, Asthana has written to the government saying a “false FIR” has been lodged against him, NDTV has reported.
In September, the CBI had said that Asthana’s role in alleged corruption in six cases was being investigated and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had been informed about this. Sources say that one of the six cases in which Asthana’s role is being probed is the one in which a Kolkata based businessman Dipesh Chandak – who is accused turned approver in the Bihar fodder scam – managed to escape near Howrah station in August this year.
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Later, Asthana had written to the government complaining against Verma saying that the latter was preventing him from carrying out investigations and trying to malign him.
In the Moin Qureshi corruption case, Hyderabad-based businessman Sana Satish has given a statement before a magistrate in early October naming Asthana and two others stating how he paid Rs 3 crore over ten months so he is not investigated against. The two others are Dubai-based middleman Manoj Prasad who was arrested on the basis of Satish’s complaint and Prasad’s relative.
However, NDTV’s report says that Asthana has alleged that Sana’s complaint was the result of a conspiracy between him and some officers of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. In fact, Asthana has alleged corrupt practices by the CBI chief.
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