Despite numerous reminders in the past two years, the office of the financial commissioner, taxation, is yet to decide on granting prosecution sanction sought by the Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) against 17 excise and taxation officials booked in a multi-crore goods and service tax (GST) scam.
The FIR was registered in August 2020 after the VB completed the probe. But the trial couldn’t commence in the court as the prosecution sanction is awaited. Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, makes it mandatory for officials concerned to pass appropriate orders within three months. But in this case, there has been extraordinary delay, said officials privy of the development.
In August 2020, the Punjab VB busted a statewide tax evasion nexus of government officials and transporters and arrested six excise and taxation officials for causing a loss to the tune of ₹100 crore to state exchequer by letting go goods carriers without paying taxes. The officials were allegedly being paid bribes by transporters on monthly basis, it was alleged.
The VB sought permission for prosecution of excise and taxation officials (ETOs) namely Japsimran Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Dinesh Gaur, Sunil Kumar, Kali Charan, Varun Nagpal, Abhishek Duggal and Ravi Nandan, besides assistant excise and taxation commissioners Vishawdeep Singh Bhangu, Harjinder Singh Sandhu, Harmeet Singh, Haryadwinder Singh Bajwa, Manjit Singh and Satpal, and DETC Balvir Kumar Virdi.
Prosecution sanction of DETC Rajesh Bhandari, who was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe in 2020, and AECT Sukhwinder Singh, now retired, who was booked in 2017, is also awaited.
Official records reveal that the VB wrote the first letter to financial commissioner, taxation, on November 26, 2020, to grant prosecution sanction, and it was followed up by six reminders in last two years, but no avail.
“It seems somebody is saving the erring officials, otherwise there was never such delay,” said a VB official, not wishing to be named. “The delay has defeated our purpose to send a strong signal against erring officials by presenting a watertight case in the court,” he added.
The accused officials were allegedly facilitating goods carriers cross barriers without bills or after undervaluing the billing to evade tax, it is alleged. The transporters used to pay bribes to officials ranging between from ₹30,000 to ₹2 lakh a month, depending on the rank of an official. This came to the fore in phone calls tapped by the VB that worked for almost nine months to bust this racket.
While financial commissioner, taxation, Ajoy Sharma could not be contacted despite repeated attempts, Punjab excise and taxation minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the matter has came to his notice and he has directed officials to give personal hearing to erring officials and take final decision on the missive of VB.
Source: HindustanTimes
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