In probe against Alok Verma, CVC examines several CBI officials

New Delhi, Oct 31: The Central Vigilance Commission which is probing the allegations against CBI director in exile, Alok Verma examined several officials.

Officials in the rank of inspector and superintendent of police of the CBI were called in for their versions. A senior official of the CVC then recorded the statements.

The officials who recorded their statements on Tuesday include those who handled the Moin Qureshi bribery case, the IRCTC scam involving former railway minister Lalu Yadav, and the cattle smuggling case in which a senior BSF officer was caught with wands of cash in Kerala, according to the officials.

These officials were called from the CBI headquarters here and some from zonal offices, including Kochi, they said requesting anonymity. The officials were asked to give details of the cases in whose probe, the charges of alleged interference by Verma have come up, the officials said.

The development comes after Supreme Court on Friday asked the CVC, that exercises superintendence over the CBI in corruption matters, to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana.

The two feuding officers, who have alleged each other of impropriety, have been sent on leave by the Centre. The Supreme Court had directed that the CVC's inquiry into the allegations against Verma, who has challenged the government's decision divesting him of his duties and sending him on leave, would be conducted under the supervision of retired Supreme Court judge Justice AK Patnaik and this was a "one-time exception".

The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated recently leading to registration of an FIR against Asthana and others including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is in the CBI custody in an alleged bribery case.

The CBI had on October 15 registered an FIR against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Hyderabad- based businessman Sana Sathish Babu which was given through two middlemen Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad to sabotage the probe against meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

On August 24, Asthana, in his complaint to the cabinet secretary, had levelled allegations against Verma that he got a bribe of Rs two crore from Sana to help him get some relief from questioning in the matter.

The CVC was given two weeks time to submit a report to the Supreme Court.