CBI books its own special director Rakesh Asthana in bribery case


New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against its own Special Director Rakesh Asthana of accepting bribe to settle a case of meat exporter Moin Qureshi, who is facing multiple cases of money laundering and corruption, the agency said on Sunday.

CBI Spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said the CBI on Saturday carried out searches at the house of a CBI's Deputy Superintendent of Police, Devender Kumar, who is the Investigating Officer in the Qureshi case, in Delhi.

"An FIR was registered against Rakesh Asthana, Devender and two private persons, Manoj Prasad and Someshwar Prasad, on October 15 following a complaint by Sathish Babu Sana of Hyderabad," the CBI said.

The agency said the amended provision of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which mandates prior approval for initiating probe, won't apply in the case against Asthana.

The country's top probe agency alleged that bribes were taken at least five times in December 2017 and October 2018.

The CBI said it has statement of Satish Sana recorded under Section 164 Cr.PC twice on October 4 and October 20, which completely "corroborates" allegation against Asthana and others.

Sana, in his complaints, said he had been made to part with huge amount of money by CBI officials including Asthana and Devender, on the pretext of helping him in a case, wherein he has no involvement.

"I have made recordings of most of the WhatsApp messages and WhatsApp voice calls which I will produce as and when asked to do so," Sana, the complainant, said.

Someshwar, CBI alleged, handled Asthana's investments.

Asthana, a 1984 batch Indian Police Service officer of Gujarat cadre, is accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore from a businessman who was under probe in the Qureshi case in order to "wreck" the investigation. The case was being examined by a special investigation team (SIT) headed by Asthana.

The CBI lodged the FIR on October 15 after the arrest of a middleman Manoj, who has given a confessional statement before a magistrate confirming the payment of Rs 2 crore to Asthana.

Manoj has reportedly admitted that he had paid the bribe on behalf of Qureshi, who is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money laundering for a host of public servants. Qureshi was arrested by the ED in August last year under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Apart from Asthana, the CBI has also named Samant Kumar Goel, Special Director of India's external intelligence agency RAW, but not an accused.

The latest move is another indication of the escalating internal war within the CBI's top officials, Verma and Asthana.

Earlier, Asthana had filed a complaint against the CBI Director accusing him of interfering in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation corruption case involving family members of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad.

Subsequently, in a press statement, the agency had denied Asthana's charges against the CBI Director and asserted that the Special Director himself was under probe in half-a-dozen cases and was trying to intimidate officials who were probing his role.

High-profile investigator Asthana enjoyed a clout in the CBI as most high-profile cases involving politicians were handled by him. These include graft charges against Lalu Prasad, former Union minister Chidambaram and his son Karti, and the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

The fight between them has raged for several months with Verma allegedly seeking to block Asthana's elevation as special director on the ground that the latter was being probed in some cases. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), however, brushed aside the objection, saying that the charges against Asthana were not substantial, a decision which was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

The rift came out in the open once again when the CBI Director objected to the CVC calling Asthana as the CBI's representative for a meeting when the former was abroad on an official trip.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Vincent Rodrigues, Katapadi/Bangalore

    Tue, Oct 23 2018

    No one is above the temptation of money

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • shan, dubai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    I was thinking how the people who took money from bank are escaping from India, caught in corruption are coming out in bail or innocent....... If CBI people or any judge/lawyers are taking money and leaving them to escape from punishment. Our CM is telling only hum nahi carenge or kisi ko carne na denge.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • PenMightierThanTheSword!, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    "The PM’s blue-eyed boy, Gujarat cadre officer, of Godra SIT fame, infiltrated as No. 2 into the CBI, has now been caught taking bribes. Under this PM, the CBI is a weapon of political vendetta. An institution in terminal decline that’s at war with itself."

    DisAgree Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • Stan, Udupi/Dubai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    He is appointed to catch opposition on wrong foot ,but got himself with same. sin will catch up one day and it caught him quite sooner. CHOWKIDAR IS EXPOSED COMPLETELY WITH THIS LYING.

    DisAgree Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • anthony, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    The CBI has lost all credibility. Where is the Lokpal ?. Asthana being from the Gujarat Cadre was hand picked as Special Director. Looks like the grapes have turned sour.

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • VM, MANGALORE

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    "Apart from Asthana, the CBI has also named Samant Kumar Goel, Special Director of India's external intelligence agency RAW, but not an accused."
    Goel, is currently RAW’s number two and in-charge of the spy agency’s West Asia’s desk. So people from RAW can also be involved in bribery, so Pakistans ISI may be having a jolly good time.

    Asthana is currently being probed in six cases including accepting bribes from the controversial Sterling Bitoech group and jailed journalist-cum-fixer Upendra Rai.Many reports have pointed out that Asthana has always landed plush positions because of his proximity with the top brass in the Modi government.

    Recently it was reported that Asthana was allegedly influencing a coal scam case at the CBI in which the name of Bhaskar Khulbe one of Narendra Modi’s most trusted aides, was mentioned as an accused.Asthana is said to have taken a stance that Khulbe should be made a witness rather than an accused in the case.

    DisAgree Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • J N Lobo, Mumbai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Caged parrots are fighting each other. Nowadays every such thing is OK.

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • El En Tea, Mumbai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    CBI is old ...... No much importance
    Now NIA

    DisAgree [2] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • G R PRABHUJI, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Whatever may be the case, Ambani , Adani and others are safe till Modiji is there.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • Hegde, Udupi

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    How nonsensical statements these regular bunch of intellectuals keep making day in & day out. Self contradictory saying first saying Mr.Asthana was heading SIT in all cases pertaining to the opposition including the Lallo's fodder case. So its self explanatory & implies that there is a conspiracy by the opposition in this saga rather than blaming the central government. For heaven sake why don't you guys use your peanut brains at least sometime????

    DisAgree [20] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • francis lobo, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Have you read the version of Prashant Bhushan when Mr. Astana was appointed to the CBI (sterling biotech Bribery case in Gujarat) . Also can you tell why he was only assigned cases relating to opposition parties and not any other cases

    DisAgree [1] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • HENRY MISQUITH, Bahrain

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    The only & most appropriate comment is " SHAME ! SHAME!"

    DisAgree Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • R Bhandarkar, Mangaluru

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Waa Kalver Yaa !
    Simply Third Rates.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • Gangaram, Moodbidri

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    bhale besh....... aur ek kemcho degra.........

    Modi govt selected all gujjus in top post to secure theirself and now skeletons are falling aprat.........

    DisAgree [1] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Satya, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Another Gujju scandal...………...

    DisAgree [2] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • francis lobo, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Mr. Astana was part of Gujarat SIT on the Godhra train burning case , Lalu yadav fodder scam, Augusta Westalnd etc etc . He was promoted to CBI overtaking the seniority of others by NDA. So something is wrong with him and central government

    DisAgree [2] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lionel Dsouza, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    ALL INVESTIGATING AGENCIES SHOULD COME UNDER SUPREME COURT.....

    DisAgree Agree [23] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Very soon CBI's top boss is going to be Booked ...

    DisAgree Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: CBI books its own special director Rakesh Asthana in bribery case



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