Page 4 - Corruption

Cash discovery row: SC's in-house 3-member committee commences inquiry

Three members of the Supreme Court-appointed in-house committee on Tuesday commenced its inquiry into the alleged cash discovery row involving Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, sources said. They said the three members -- Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka -- reached Justice Varma's official residence at 30, Tughlak Crescent here. The judges were inside the official residence of Justice Varma for around 30-35 minutes and apparently inspected the site, sources said. The alleged cash discovery took place following a fire at Justice Varma's official residence here at around 11.35 pm on March 14, prompting the fire officials to rush to the spot and douse it. On March 22, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into allegations against ..

Judicial work withdrawn from Justice Yashwant Varma, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court on Monday announced that judicial work from Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose official residence a large stash of cash was allegedly discovered after a fire, has been withdrawn with "immediate effect", till further orders. The announcement was made in a note issued by the high court. Another note attached to the cause list of the day on the high court's website stated that the court master of division bench-III, which was headed by Justice Varma, will give dates in matters listed before today. "In view of the recent events, the judicial work from hon'ble Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma is withdrawn with immediate effect, till further orders," the note released on the court's website under the name of registrar (listing) said. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court on March 22 uploaded on its website the inquiry report of Delhi High Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya -- complete with photos and videos -- regarding the alleged discovery of a substantial amount of cash

'We are not a trash bin': Allahabad bar slams Justice Varma's transfer

The Supreme Court Collegium decided to transfer Justice Yashwant Verma back to Allahabad High Court after hoards of cash were recovered in his New Delhi home

UP Invest CEO Abhishek Prakash suspended over allegations of corruption

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday suspended senior IAS officer and Invest UP Chief Executive Officer Abhishek Prakash over allegations of irregularities and corruption in approval of a project by an investor, officials here said. An alleged middleman, Nikant Jain, involved in the case was also arrested on Thursday, they said. Prakash, a 2006-batch IAS officer, was suspended after an investor in the solar industry lodged a complaint alleging that Jain demanded a commission to facilitate approvals for projects. Jain was arrested on Thursday. Later in the day, the government said in a statement UP Invest CEO Prakash was suspended. Invest UP is the state's investment promotion agency, aiming to attract and facilitate investments. Prakash was serving as its CEO. Jain was arrested for allegedly demanding money from an entrepreneur for clearing his proposal with the help of Invest UP functionaries, officials said. Nikant Jain (40), son of the late Sudhir Kumar Jain, was arreste

India, Mauritius ink pact during PM's visit to curb money laundering, graft

During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India and Mauritius signed an agreement to enhance cooperation in combating money laundering, corruption, fraud, asset recovery and the financing of illicit activities, the ED said Thursday. The collaboration between Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) of Mauritius will "bolster" financial enforcement capabilities and will also contribute to broader economic and security cooperation between the two nations, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged in the presence of Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam. During the discussions leading to the MoU, the ED and the FCC explored the possibilities of "joint operations" to detect, investigate and prosecute cross-border money laundering offences, according to the ED. They also underlined the significance of exchange programmes, experience sharing, training and skill build

CBI files fresh FIR against ex-FCI GM after surfacing of 'illicit' wealth

The CBI has registered a fresh FIR against Banoth Prem Singh, a former General Manager of Food Corporation of lndia arrested in a bribery case, after the unearthing of an illicit sum of over Rs 3 crore, allegedly belonging to him, from a businessman, officials said Friday. The information about the money surfaced during the analysis of his WhatsApp exchanges by CBI investigators who were probing him in connection with alleged bribery case, they said. "The scrutiny of whatsapp (sic) chats, statement of bank account etc. has established that the illegal money of Banoth Prem Singh to the tune of Rs.3.47 crore were parked with G. Satyanarayan (businessman) from time to time as mentioned in the handwritten notes shared by him out of which Rs 2.47 crore were transferred to different accounts and persons or given to different persons for different purposes," the CBI FIR said. Singh was arrested in June last year in a trap operation involving a Rs 1 lakh bribe. The CBI had acted against hi

ED attaches Rs 65 cr assets linked to ex-GM of Sikkim Bank in fraud case

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 65.46 crore in connection with a money laundering case involving a former general manager-ranked officer of a Sikkim-based bank. The ED said in a statement that the attached assets include four residential properties and land parcels located in Deorali, Syari, Ranipool and Penlong - all in Sikkim. These properties were allegedly acquired using proceeds from fraudulent activities linked to siphoning of funds from the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) by Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, its former general manager (operations). Additionally, several bank accounts with a combined deposit of approximately Rs 53.41 crore in the names of Lepcha and his family members have also been frozen, the statement said. These actions are parts of an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation and laundering of funds from the bank under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Established in 1968

EOW arrests son of absconding businessman in New India Coop Bank fraud case

The Mumbai police's economic offences wing (EOW) has arrested the son of a businessman wanted in connection with the embezzlement of Rs 122 crore at the New India Cooperative Bank, an official said on Friday. The EOW on Thursday arrested Manohar Arunachalam (33), the son of absconding accused Unnathan Arunachalam, the official said. This is the fourth arrest in connection with the case, he said. The EOW had earlier arrested three persons, including the bank's ex-general manager, Hitesh Mehta, and real estate developer, Dharmesh Paun. The official said Manohar allegedly helped his father, Unnathan Arunachalam alias Arun Bhai, to flee, and a probe has revealed that he was with his father when the latter absconded. He will be produced in a court later in the day, the official said. EOW officials have been searching for Unnathan Arunachalam for the last several days, and a lookout circular has been issued against him According to the EOW, the bank's ex-general manager, Hitesh Mehta,

French firm accuses MMRDA of corruption, seeks diplomatic intervention

The French company has alleged that MMRDA officials demanded benefits and intentionally delayed payments. Systra has raised these concerns with the Indian government and sought diplomatic intervention

CAG reports to be tabled today; Delhi CM house, Mohalla clinics under lens

CAG reports will highlight alleged issues in the renovation of the Chief Minister's residence and Mohalla clinics under the earlier AAP government

'Land-for-jobs' case against Lalu: Delhi court to take cognisance on Feb 25

A Delhi court would on February 25 decide whether or not to take cognisance of a chargesheet filed in the land-for-jobs case involving former railway minister Lalu Prasad and others. Special judge Vishal Gogne, who was scheduled to decide the matter on Friday, adjourned the matter on February 25 after hearing CBI's clarifications on certain points. The judge on January 30 raised certain queries to the CBI with respect to elements of commonality and distinctiveness in the allegations recorded in the chargesheet. The judge's queries were prompted by the CBI's statement that it had received requisite sanctions from the authorities concerned to prosecute public servant R K Mahajan. On January 16, the judge said if the sanction against Mahajan was not processed by January 30, the "competent authority shall furnish" an explanation by the next date of hearing. The CBI on November 26, 2024 filed before the court requisite sanctions obtained from authorities concerned to prosecute 30 accus

Punjab Police crackdown on corruption, malpractices: 52 officials dismissed

The dismissals included one inspector, five assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), four head constables (HCs), and 42 constables

PM Modi slams Congress over speed of development, speed of corruption

Prime Minister spoke of the speedier justice under the new criminal laws and noted that aspirational districts have now transformed into inspirational districts

INDI alliance leaders compete on who can do more corruption: BJP's Bhandari

Bhandari criticised the alliance, including the Congress and RJD, for prioritising corruption over public welfare

Trump's move to halt US bribery law sparks fears of 'Wild West' deals

To its fans, it's an undeniable force for good in a corrupt world, a groundbreaking anti-bribery statute that has brought powerful businessmen to heel for secretly paying off foreign government officials to win contracts abroad. To detractors, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unfairly hobbles American companies while foreign rivals not so encumbered swoop in. On Monday, President Donald Trump took a side. It sounds good on paper but in practicality, it's a disaster, Trump said while signing an executive order freezing enforcement of the law. It's going to mean a lot more business for America. The consequences could be dramatic, depending on Trump's next move. If he halts many prosecutions, essentially defanging the law, it could help US businesses win deals abroad. But it also could tarnish America's image, allow corrupt autocrats ruling over impoverished people to get even richer and lead France, Britain, Japan and other wealthy countries to weaken their own anti-bribery laws so

Former transport minister of Singapore placed in home detention- Here's why

The former Singapore minister pleaded guilty last year to four charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code for receiving valuables from individuals in an official capacity

Odisha Vigilance searches 7 locations linked to Deputy Director Mohapatra

The searches are part of an investigation into allegations of disproportionate assets (DA) against Mohapatra

Bangladesh court acquits Khaleda Zia in 10 year-old sabotage case

A court in Bangladesh acquitted BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia on Wednesday in a sabotage case filed in the southeastern Cumilla district 10 years ago. Additional District and Session Judge Court-2 of Cumilla Afroza Jesmin passed the order as there was no evidence against 79-year-old Zia, who is now undergoing treatment in London, the state-run BSS news agency reported. The court observed that the case was filed on political grounds and harassment, the agency said. The case was filed against 32 people, including Zia, in the Special Powers Act, 1974, at Chouddagram Police Station in Cumilla in connection with damaging and setting fire to a covered van during a strike on January 25, 2015. Zia was the 32nd accused in the case. No specific evidence was found against Zia and she has been acquitted, Public Prosecutor Kaimul Haque Rinku was quoted as saying by bdnews24 news portal. He added that 32 people were named in the FIR, but 42 people were charged afterwards

CBI registers fresh corruption case against Cong MP Karti Chidambaram

The CBI has registered a fresh case of corruption against former finance minister P Chidambaram's son and Congress MP, Karti Chidambaram, for allegedly giving relief to alcoholic beverage company Diageo Scotland over a ban on the duty-free sale of its whisky, officials said Thursday. The case pertains to an alleged suspicious payment made to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd, "an entity controlled" by Karti P Chidambaram and his close aide S Bhaskararaman by Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals, the CBI FIR said. "Enquiry revealed that out of various proposals of FIPB enquired into, it was found that Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals have suspiciously transferred funds to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd., an entity controlled by Sh. Karti P Chidambaram and his close aide S Bhaskararaman," it said. The agency alleged that its enquiry has found that Diageo Scotland, UK used to import duty-free Johnnie Walker whisky. No immediate reaction was available from the suspe

Rare win for Malaysia's ex-PM Najib as court grants appeal in detention bid

Malaysia's pardons board, at the time chaired by then King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, agreed in February last year to halve Najib's jail sentence to six years from 12 and reduced fines imposed