The Joint Director General of Foreign Trade (JDGFT), who is assigned in Visakhapatnam, along with two other officials, have been detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a 4.5 lakhs bribery case. The officers were accused of soliciting and accepting payments through DGFT consultants and conduits in exchange for issuing new import and export certificates, renewing existing ones, and issuing relevant licences.
The officials stated that Ramesh, Joint Director General of Foreign Trade (JDGFT) of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Section Head Sreebhashyam Venkata Ranganathan in Regional Authority and MD of Kireeti Indenting & Exim Services Pvt Ltd P. Sita Rama Raju were involved in the bribe.
The Kireeti Indenting & Exim Services Pvt Ltd, an ISO certified professional consulting firm that provides services to both importers and exporters with respect to DGFT Liasoning for Export & Import licenses and gives consultation for industrial subsidies. They also assist foreign investors and global or international companies whose business interest lies in India.
CBI authorities reported that the Joint Director was given 4 lakhs, while the Section head received 50,000 in bribes from Managing Director Sita Rama Raju. Mr. Raju instructed his employees to collect Rs. 4 lakhs from Jayaraj Fortune Packaging Pvt Ltd in order to provide it as a bribe to the JDGFT. Also, bribed the Joint Director to clear all the files of his client companies.
Recently, the CBI has initiated a FIR against the Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate regarding a bribery case involving a sum of Rs. 5 crore. This case is connected to the Excise Policy Scam, with accusations that the director accepted a bribe from a liquor businessman.
Read More: CBI files FIR against ED Assistant Director in Rs. 5 crore bribery case in Excise Policy Scam
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