CBI probes Shapoorji Pallonji in alleged bribery case

The CBI is likely to question the senior management of Shapoorji Pollonji Infrastructure Gujarat Private Ltd in connection with an alleged case of bribery of Rs 85 lakh, in which a Commissioner of Income Tax and a company executive were arrested, officials said Wednesday.

Viral Kantilal Mehta, deputy general manager (Taxation) of Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group, had already paid Rs 15 lakh to two middlemen based in Mumbai - Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah and Prakash Shambaji Pawar, both residents of Chembur, against an alleged bribe demand of Rs 1.20 crore from Commissioner of Income Tax Jeevan Lal Lavidiya for favourable disposal of a taxation appeal filed by the company, the CBI FIR has alleged.

Mehta was arrested by the CBI after paying the second instalment of Rs 70 lakh to a middleman in Mumbai on May 9.

"It needs to be examined who cleared the payment of such a large amount of alleged bribes. The role of everyone involved in the alleged conspiracy will be examined during the course of the investigation," an official said.

In a statement after the CBI operation on May 10, the company had said the group is committed to fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in their investigations.

"The SP Group has been made aware of a serious allegation of misconduct against an employee of one of our Group Company subsidiaries. The alleged conduct was not with the knowledge of the Group, nor was it sanctioned by it. In fact, this goes against the very values and policies that the Group upholds in its business operations," the company had said in a statement.

It said, given the seriousness of these allegations, the Group has already launched an internal enquiry into the alleged conduct and will take the necessary steps based on the outcome of the investigation.

The central agency had received the inputs that Lavidiya had already decided to issue a favourable order from the company and was waiting for a final submission from the company.

According to the FIR, Mehta sought time from Lavidiya to make the company's final submission and the company management's " permission " to pay the alleged bribe to him.

"Source has further informed that the management of Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Private Ltd. has now given permission to Viral Kantilal Mehta for payment of Rs 70 lakh to Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, Commissioner of Income Tax for their pending matter," the CBI FIR had alleged.

They said Lavidiya, a 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service officer posted as Commissioner Income Tax (Exemption), Hyderabad, with additional charges as Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals Unit-8 and Unit-7), was arrested along with Mehta and agents Sairam Palisetty, Natta Veera Naga Sri Ram Gopal, and Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah.

The CBI is also examining other alleged instances of bribes received by Lavidiya to clear companies' appeals.

"Source has informed that Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, while dealing with an appeal of NDW Development Corporation LLP, Mumbai, had obtained a flat at Mumbai worth Rs. 2.5 crores as bribe, which belonged to Aviation Hotels Pvt Ltd., a group company of NDW Development Corporation," the FIR has alleged.

It also alleged that the officer registered the flat as "benami" with Dandela Venkateswarlu, a resident of Khammam District, as the front and kept the registry documents in his custody. Lavidiya is also a native of Khamman.

The CBI FIR further alleged that while handling the matters of Ventura Securities Ltd., Thane and Anandrao Shitole, Mumbai, Lavidiya had allegedly obtained bribe of Rs 20 lakh and Rs 15 lakh through middlemen and routed through hawala channels.

The accused officer received Rs 15 lakh through his middleman while processing the appeal of Hemantkumar Rajendrakumar Shah, Ahmedabad, according to the allegations in the FIR.

The amount was allegedly kept in the bank account of his acquaintance and routed through hawala channels, it had said.