SFIO to hire 13 consultants

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is looking to hire 13 consultants in various fields on a contractual basis.

As per a public notice, the probe agency plans to recruit four people each as consultants in the areas of law and financial analysis as well as five more in other fields.

The consultants would be engaged at two levels -- consultant-I and consultant-II -- depending on their experience in the respective areas.

The hiring plans also come at a time when the agency is probing a significant number of cases related to financial irregularities, including the nearly Rs 13,000 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank allegedly involving diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his associates.

The posting of consultants could be at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad offices of the SFIO.

"Expression of interest is invited from eligible applicants for engagement as consultant-I/ consultant-II purely on short-term contract basis ...," SFIO said in the recent notice.

With regard to the field of law, consultant-I should be an advocate with at least 10 years of experience at the Bar, while for consultant-II, lawyers with a minimum experience of four years are eligible.

Applicant for consultant-I in the filed of financial analysis should be a chartered accountant or costs and works accountant or company secretary with an experience of at least five years and consultant-II needs to have a minimum experience of three years.

For other fields pertaining to banking and audit & accounts, consultant-I needs to have a master's degree in the relevant field and a minimum post-qualification experience of seven years. Consultant-II should also have a master's degree with five years of post-qualification experience.

Retired employees of government or public sector undertakings or autonomous bodies are also eligible to apply for consultant-I and II under other fields.

The SFIO, which comes under the corporate affairs ministry, has a total of 133 sanctioned positions.

The probe agency is a multidisciplinary organisation having experts for prosecution of white collar crimes and frauds under the companies law.