DGCEI is likely to witness spurt in applications for deputation posting after one of its officers was caught red handed by CBI with Rs.1.09 crores in Pune.
Central Excise Officer Caught with Rs. 1.09 Crore Bribe
THIS bribe amount seems to be as large as the duty evaded in many cases. An officer of the DGCEI , in Pune was nabbed by the CBI red handed while accepting a bribe of over ONE CRORE rupees. THIS IS A RECORD!!! One Crore Rupees as bribe! Incidentally the bribe giver was also arrested - there was no complaint. It was CBI's intelligence vs Central Excise Intelligence. A steel rolling mill owner is said to have given the bribe apparently evading Central Excise Duty. When the Superintendent's house was searched, CBI found more than Rs. 6 Lakhs and about 800 Dollars in cash. Obviously One Crore bribe is not for a single officer - it should be shareable booty. In fact the CBI is said to have furnished to the Court a document containing the names of officers and their share in the bribe.
DDT's reports on corruption cases and how the officers who are caught red handed are finished for life, have been not appreciated by many departmental officers. We thought that these reports would have a preventive effect on other officers, but recently an officer told me that DDT's reports are being used for comparing figures and identifying posts – now there may be a big rush for deputation to DGCEI – after all the stakes are quite high. And the justification is, when everybody else is corrupt, what is wrong with ours? The name of the game is – “don't get caught”.
Sub: The One Crore demand DGCEI officer
A bribe is a bribe is a bribe, records notwithstanding. No doubt, one crore is a gigantic figure if you consider the fact that the Superintendent (who has eight years for retirement and would have in all probability retired as an Assistant/Deputy Commissioner) is now drawing a salary of around Rs.50,000/- per month. So, what he has asked from the assessee and which they were ready to give is only 200 times his gross salary! Coupled with the fact that six lakhs and more in cash plus 800 USD plus silver plus gold plus deer skin and property papers, seventy five and more, indicates that the officer was after all a wise investor. Remember, Rome was not built in a day and this officer too must have slogged and burnt the midnight oil to accumulate so much wealth for himself and his family and one needs to appreciate such a hard-working officer. Of course, one cannot demand such high amounts without being intelligent in his job.
It is well known that the rolling steel units in Jalna, Maharashtra have a turnover of not less than 200 Crores in a year and they almost always evade the entire Central Excise duty or fraudulently take Cenvat Credit and discharge duty thus passing of inadmissible credit.
As mentioned, the booty was apparently to be shared amongst all his colleagues and bosses and that is why the assessee had agreed to this offer. But someone played spoilsport and hence the matter came to light. It could be a disgruntled officer or even a competitor of the assessee. Needless to mention the CBI may not reveal this but imagine what would have happened had the transaction passed away without any glitch. The officers would have been on cloud nine and continued their job in the right earnest – trapping a few more such assessees and extort to their hearts content.
The DG would now be a sad man what with all this negative publicity his organization has achieved in the New Year. With this sort of officers under his command, how would he achieve the Revenue targets if the officers are hell bent on meeting their own revenue targets. The best option would be to evict every one in the Pune Regional Unit for a fair and transparent enquiry and have a re-look at all the files handled by the arrested officer and his associates to ensure that revenue has not been sacrificed at the altar of corruption. The axe has to fall and the sooner it is done, the better. A lot many officers have parked themselves repeatedly in the DGCEI for reasons best known to them and the higher ups. Time has come for the Board to intervene and ensure that officers posted to these sensitive wings are of impeccable integrity and non-corrupt to the core. By the way, officers do read DDT for such spicy news and the sermons it doles out. Unfortunately, only a few get reformed and the rest continue merrily until they are caught!
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