| Rajib Sharma |
Posted
on 23-Apr-02 11:56 PM
A report of India.
a leason to be learned from this report.
Report: Investigators recover millions allegedly taken as bribes by corrupt official in northern India
Sun Apr 21, 8:49 AM ET
NEW DELHI, India - Authorities have arrested a top official and recovered millions of rupees (dlrs) he allegedly took as bribes and stashed in bank lockers in the northern Indian state of Punjab, a news agency reported Sunday.
Officials in Chandigarh, Punjab's capital, have recovered cash worth more than rupees 94.4 million (dlrs 1.96 million) from bank lockers belonging to relatives of a top state government official arrested on charges he took bribes from job seekers, the Press Trust of India (news - web sites) agency said.
Ravinderpal Sidhu, chairman of Punjab's public service commission, was arrested last week on charges of corruption, but police were still trying to assess the full extent of his assets, including money in banks abroad and real estate.
The bundles of Indian currency notes were stacked neatly in five bank lockers belonging to Sidhu's brother and mother. Three lockers, also in the names of Sidhu's kin, had yet to be opened as the investigating team awaited permission from the court.
Sidhu, who headed the commission that appoints officials to top jobs in Punjab's civil, judicial and police services, would allegedly fix the appointment of candidates after taking huge amounts of money in bribes.
Sidhu has denied the charges and said his arrest and the investigation of his finances were the result of a political vendetta, since he was close to the Akali Dal party which recently lost legislature elections in Punjab.
But officials said the investigation followed complaints from job seekers, who alleged that Sidhu and his associates had demanded money in exchange for government posts.
The officials, who were not named, said data from Sidhu's laptop computer showed he had bank accounts abroad and houses and real estate in different parts of the country — all purchased after he joined the commission in 1996.
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