The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry to probe allegations that two officials of the state-owned State Trading Corporation had received illegal gratification from a private steel firm in exchange for certain favours.
According to sources the agency has collected all documents, containing entries that showed alleged payments made to the STC and other government officials in exchange for favours, from the Income Tax department. The IT department in 2010 had conducted searches at the office of a private steel company in Delhi and recovered documents that allegedly showed payments were made to the coal ministry and STC officials.
“The agency is now planning to seek clarification from the STC officials. If required, the CBI officials will also scrutiny the bank account details of the two officials, who are under the scanner”, sources said.
The agency is also planning to seek certain clarification from the Income Tax department in this connection, sources said. “The IT officials, who had conducted searches, may also be asked to explain certain queries”, sources said.
“The agency will also try to identify other government officials who were allegedly shown as beneficiaries in the seized documents. There were entries that showed alleged payments were made to officials of other ministries”, sources said. The agency may seek explanation from the private company also in this regard, sources added.
“Without registering a regular case, the agency does not have power to call anybody to the CBI headquarters for recording the statement. If the agency decides to convert the existing PE into a regular case, then only CBI can send summons to the people”.