The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against a former Railway Board Member (Staff), former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla and nine others in connection with a bribery case.
Among those named are N. Manjunath, Sandeep Goyal, Ajay Garg, Rahul Yadav, Sameer Sandhir, Sushil Daga, C.V. Venugopal, M.V. Murali Krishna and Venkateshwara Rail Nirman Private Limited. The ED has also requested the confiscation of the assets attached in the money laundering case, which is based on an FIR registered by the CBI.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against several accused persons under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“At the relevant time, Mr. Pawan Bansal was the Railway Minister and his nephew Vijay Singla was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹89.68 lakh for the favourable appointment and posting of Mr. Kumar, a 1975-batch officer of Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers, as Member (Electrical), Railway Board,” said the agency.
The ED probe revealed that Mr. Manjunath, on behalf of Mr. Kumar, ‘persuaded various Railway vendors, manufactures and contractors to arrange the bribe amount. In lieu of the funds, they were assured favours’.
The first instalment of the bribe amount was arranged by Mr. Manjunath, Mr. Krishna, Mr. Daga and Venkateshwara Rail Nirman, as alleged. The money was routed through the accounts of various companies and individuals, with the help of “hawala” agents, and allegedly delivered to Mr. Singla at his office in Chandigarh.
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