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Raising allegations of corruption against L-G V K Saxena, and that he issued verbal directions to exchange demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes when he was chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, the Aam Aadmi Party has cited statements of two cashiers who used to work with the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan.
In 2017, allegations emerged that two cashiers working in Delhi had accepted demonetised currency worth Rs 22 lakh in 2016, in contravention of rules.
This was brought to the notice of the KVIC’s Department of Vigilance, which launched an enquiry. The matter was also referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. During the vigilance enquiry, the two cashiers — Sanjeev Kumar, and Pradeep Yadav — claimed in their statements that the manager and the sales in-charge at the Connaught Place branch of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan had handed over the cash to them, and when they expressed apprehension about accepting it, they were told the chairperson had asked them to accept and exchange the money. In their statements, the cashiers claimed they were scared of repercussions and agreed to exchange the notes.
“I accepted Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes after they were demonetised on the instructions of the manager. He said if I was accepting cash, I should deposit these notes as well and that the chairperson had ordered this. I had refused but the manager said there was pressure from the chairperson. I was very scared because five days before the note ban, two people had been transferred to Goa and Jaipur… the Bhavan sales in-charge would call me to the manager’s room and give me old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to exchange and told me to give them to him. I committed the wrongdoing under pressure,” Kumar claimed in his statement.
Yadav, in his statement, claimed, “The manager called me to his cabin and asked me to exchange old notes. I said, ‘sir, there might be a problem’, but he said this belongs to the chairman and there was no need to worry.”
On April 17, 2017, the Chief Vigilance Officer recommended the suspension and transfer of the two cashiers and the two supervisors. The preliminary report by the Directorate of Vigilance had stated that the “active connivance” of the two supervisors “stands established”, and that they had “miserably failed in their duty to exercise proper supervision, control and check on cash deposits being made in KG Bhavan bank accounts”.
On May 29, 2017, KVIC informed the CBI about the enquiry and action taken against the four officials.
On July 10, 2017, CBI filed an FIR against the two cashiers and unknown persons. The FIR did not name the two supervisors. Sources in the CBI said a chargesheet was filed on December 21, 2017. “Charges have been framed and the trial is on. No role of any person other than the accused came out in the probe,” a CBI official said..
According to sources, the CBI probe found that Rs 17 lakh, and not Rs 22 lakh, was deposited in the form of demonetised currency notes in the account of the Bhavan.
The L-G has denied any wrongdoing. Officials said he is set to take legal action against AAP MLAs.
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