Senior govt official and Mumbai based company booked in corruption case by CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a criminal offence against the then chief general manager (finance) of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC), a Mumbai based private company and its general manager (finance) in connection with a corruption-related case. The agency has registered an offence on charges of criminal conspiracy, inducement, demand and acceptance of undue advantage and performing public duty dishonestly against accused persons involved.

According to the CBI, reliable information was received that a Mumbai based company which has its offices at Chembur and Prabhadevi had completed two projects of Civil and Hydro Mechanic Works of NHPC at Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. During the period 2020, Arbitration Award payments of these two projects to the tune of Rs 164.72 crores and Rs 20.64 crores were pending with the NHPC Corporate Office at Faridabad for release in the Escrow Accounts of the Mumbai company.

"The company's GM Finance was the Authorised Signatory on behalf of the company and had attended the meetings at NHPC Corporate Office, Faridabad for disbursement of the Arbitration Award Amount. It is alleged that the accused H.S. Puri, then Chief General Manager (Finance), NHPC, Corporate Office, Faridabad had entered into a criminal conspiracy with the Mumbai based company, through its GM- Finance, and others. In pursuance to the same, Puri demanded undue pecuniary advantage of Rs 15 lakhs from the company official for expediting and not putting objections in the disbursement of the aforesaid two Arbitration Award payments," the CBI alleged in its FIR.

"It is further alleged that consequent to the demand of Rs 15 lakhs by Puri, during the period October of 2020 to December 2020, GM Finance of Mumbai based company arranged an amount of Rs 10 lakhs and delivered the same through his manager to Puri at his residence to get released the due Arbitration Award payments expeditiously and without objections. Also during the period from October 12, 2020, to February 11, 2021, around Rs 10.06 was deposited in the bank account of a relative of Puri.