Foreign Donation Bribery Case: CBI Files Charge Sheet

Foreign donation bribery case: CBI files charge sheet against Home Ministry officials and people associated with NGO.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against Home Ministry officials, NGO representatives, and others for alleged bribery in getting foreign donations cleared to NGOs in violation of the country’s foreign exchange law.

This information was given by the officials on Monday. Officials said the central agency filed the charge sheet before a special court on Saturday.

Officials told that this charge sheet has been filed within 60 days of the arrest on May 11.

14 people including 6 serving officers arrested.

Officials said if the CBI had missed the 60-day deadline, the arrested accused would have been eligible for statutory bail from a special court.

It was alleged that several officials were involved in bribery in getting clearance of foreign donations to NGOs in alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) rules.

The agency had registered a case against 36 people on May 10 on a complaint by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

These people include seven officials of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, representatives of NGOs, and some middlemen.

The next day, the agency arrested 14 people, including six serving officers of the ministry, after raiding 40 locations in a nationwide crackdown.

He said the agency has not included the names of the two arrested accused in the charge sheet as the investigation is still on.

Foreign donation bribery case:  Collusion with government officials.

The arrested persons include Home Ministry officials Senior Accountant Pramod Kumar Bhasin, Accounts Officer Alok Ranjan, and Accountant Raj Kumar.

Assistant Director Shahid Khan, Home Ministry officials Mohammad Ghazanfar Ali, and Tushar Kanti Roy.

Some of them were working in the FCRA division of the ministry, while some had worked earlier.

He said that eight persons, including representatives of NGOs, were also taken into custody during the action.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, in a letter sent to the CBI on March 29, had said that at least three FCRA clearance networks were working in connivance with some government officials.

Used to charge ‘Speed ​​Money’ and ‘Problem Solving Fee’.

Officials said the three networks, which have links with government officials, allegedly charged ‘speed money’ and ‘problem resolution fees’ to expedite FCRA clearances and resolve issues related to the application process for new registrations and renewals.

Bhalla had also apprised CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal of the government’s approval for a thorough probe into the alleged fraud and requested him to take necessary action.

The Home Secretary had sent a letter to the CBI chief after Home Minister Amit Shah was briefed about the developments and he ordered immediate and strict action against those involved.