The CBI is all set to examine a senior official of the Reliance Industries Ltd on Wednesday in connection with its investigations into the corporate espionage case. Besides, the agency is also expected to examine CA Rajendra Chitale, partner of Chitale and Associates who is also on board of several big corporate and government bodies, as part of its investigations into the alleged sale of ‘classified’ documents, related to foreign investment policies of the Union finance and commerce ministries, by a few senior government officials to major corporate groups of the country.
Sources said the RIL official, who has been summoned by the CBI, was allegedly in regular touch with Khemchand Gandhi, the Mumbai-based CA who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the case on February 12. However, an RIL spokesperson said, “no RIL staff has received such a summon. The information being floated has no basis and is denied”.
Rajendra Chitale’s partner Paresh was arrested by the CBI red-handed on Friday while allegedly trying to destroy confidential government documents stashed in his office. Sources said agency sleuths recovered huge cache of documents relating to several files on foreign investment proposals of Jet-Etihad deal and private banks.
Sources said they have also recovered file notings related to FIPB proposal of a private bank which was cleared last year after being rejected initially. In 2013, the concerned private bank had approached the FIPB for increasing the foreign holding in the bank to 67.55 per cent from 49 per cent.
The CBI on February 12 registered a case of criminal conspiracy, theft under IPC and misuse of official position under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against CA Khemchand Gandhi, under secretary in department of disinvestment and grievances Ashok Kumar Singh and section officer in the department of economic affairs Lala Ram Sharma.(Asian Age)
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