The CBI has registered an FIR against Enforcement Directorate (ED) Assistant Director Pawan Khatri in connection with an alleged payment of Rs 5 crore by liquor businessman Amandeep Dhall who wanted help in the Delhi excise policy scam case.
Along with the two, the CBI has also named an Assistant General Manager of Air India Deepak Sangwan, the CEO of Claridges Hotels and Resorts Vikramaditya, Chartered Accountant Praveen Kumar Vats and two others — Nitesh Kohar, an upper divisional clerk (UDC) in the ED, and Birender Pal Singh.
The CBI action was initiated on a complaint from the ED), which during its probe in the Delhi government’s excise policy scam found that Amandeep Dhall, an accused in the case, and his father Birender Pal Singh gave Rs 5 crore bribe to Chartered Accountant Praveen Vats for arranging help in the ED probe, the officials said.
Vats told the ED that Sangwan had introduced him to Khatri in December 2022, they said. Vats said that he paid Rs 50 lakh as advance to Sangwan and Khatri in December 2022 at a parking place behind ITC Hotel in Vasant Vihar for taking out Dhall’s name from the list of the accused, they said.
The ED referred its probe to the CBI on the basis of which the latter registered a case. The accused have been booked for offences relating to criminal conspiracy, bribing a public servant and for offences relating to public servant being bribed, taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by exercise of personal influence.
Searches were conducted by the ED at the residences of Khatri and Kohar and their statements were also recorded under PMLA.”With respect to the findings related to the role of Pawan Khatri and Nitesh Kohar in the above incident, it appears from their statements recorded till date and the CCTV footages collected from Haldiram (near UPSC) and Claridges hotel that they were meeting private persons including Deepak Sangwan.
Praveen Vats, Birenderpal Singh, etc. Further, they were aware of the issue that some bribes had exchanged hands between Sirender Pal Singh and Praveen Vats. Further. Pawan Khatri was present in the meeting on 29.06.2023,” the reads communication by ED Special Director Sonia Narang to the CBI seeking registration of an FIR.
Khatri never informed any Senior Officer of ED regarding all these goings on. During the search operation, cash of Rs. 2, 19,80.000 (part of the Rs 5 crore bribe money has also been inter-alia seized from the residence of Vats which corroborates that bribe money exchanged hands, according to the ED complaint.