Raids in six cities against chemical company, govt official

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Aug 21 (UNI) In a countrywide raid across six cities, the CBI today searched seven premises, including that of a retired official of the Ministry of Agriculture and the managing director of a US multinational chemical major, in connection with the pesticide bribery scam.

Searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of R L Rajak, (retd) Plant Protection Advisor, Directorate of Plant Protection (Quarantine&Storage) Ministry of Agriculture in Faridabad, three consultants -- Dr L Ramakrishnan, Dr P Natarajan and S Banerjee -- and M/S Crop Health Products Ltd, product formulators of the US chemical company DE-Nocil Crop Protection Ltd (now DOW Agro Sciences India Pvt Ltd) and its managing director at Faridabad (Haryana), Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Bharuch (Gujarat) and Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), according to the CBI here.

''Several incriminating documents were seized in the operation which were being examined.'' The raids follow registering of a case against them on August 16 for bribery, its abetment, criminal misconduct, falsification of accounts and criminal conspiracy.

The official, as member of the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee, allegedly took a bribe of nearly 32,000 US dollars from the US company for expediting registration of three of its products between 1996-2001.

The 'product formulators' facilitated the payment of bribe by accumulating funds in their books by loading bogus 'incidental charges' in their bills and raising false invoice for capital goods through mutual agreement with the company, which also had the approval of the Managing Director of the company.

The payments were made through three 'consultants', two of whom were former employees of the company.

The disclosures on payment of bribes came through an order passed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of US in February this year, the CBI added.

UNI

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