Only last month, the Supreme Court had directed CBI chief Alok Verma to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe charges against Ranjit Sinha’s attempt to influence the coal block allocation scam investigation.
Accused of laundering over $100 million across the world through various channels, controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday. The axe, however, did not fall on Qureshi alone. Former director of the probe agency, AP Singh, has also been named in the official FIR registered by the agency.
This is the second time, the first being Ranjit Sinha’s case, that the highest office of the CBI have come under a shadow on corruption charges.
Only last month, the Supreme Court had directed CBI chief Alok Verma to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe charges against Ranjit Sinha’s attempt to influence the coal block allocation scam investigation.
The agency further stated that searches were conducted in four cities — New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Chennai and Hyderabad. Qureshi’s and Singh’s residences and that of Pradeep Koneru’s in Hyderabad were also searched. CBI officials said a case has been registered against Singh, Qureshi, his employee Aditya Sharma, owner of Trimax group of companies Pradeep Koneru and other unknown persons.
Koneru is also being investigated by the CBI in connection with the disproportionate assets case against YSR Congress leader Jagan Reddy. AP Singh was not available to comment on the day’s development when DNA tried to contact him.
Singh, a 1974 batch IPS officer, headed the agency between November 30, 2010 and November 30, 2012, and he hit the headlines after his retirement when his name cropped up in an income tax evasion probe against Qureshi.
DNA had reported that Qureshi and a former agency chief interacted “on a daily basis” on Blackberry Messenger (BBM) platform. CBI officials said the accused men were booked for conspiracy and under other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) asked the agency to probe the role of public servants in allegedly favouring Qureshi.
ED Chief Karnal Singh, in his letter to CBI, had alleged that during the course of investigation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act against AMQ Group of companies, owned by Qureshi, it was revealed that the meat exporter was acting as middleman for some public servants.
In the letter, the ED Chief attached records of Blackberry chat (BBM) messages between Singh and Qureshi to allege that analysis of records disclose commission of cognizable offences. In fact, PM Modi had once accused Qureshi of having close links with 10, Janpath.
Qureshi shot into news after the Income-Tax department placed his phone under surveillance and started investigations. It was during the I-T surveillance that Qureshi’s proximity to AP Singh had come to fore.
DNA had reported that Qureshi was friends with former CBI director AP Singh as well as Sinha based on entries made by him in the visitors’ diary, which disclosed that Qureshi has visited 2, Janpath, the official residence of Sinha, at least 90 times in 15 months.
Meanwhile, CBI sources said ED has attached 22 BBM messages which were exchanged between Singh and Qureshi after the retirement of the IPS officer. Of the 22, three messages were allegedly exchanged between Singh and Qureshi while the former was the CBI Director.
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