New Delhi: The CBI booked four former officials of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and 25 companies, including Adani Power Limited, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, ACC and Vedanta, for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 97 crore to the public sector undertaking in the supply of coal from it and carried out searches at 10 locations on Friday, officials said.
The agency booked four the then officials in the finance department of MCL -- chief manager Kaberi Mukherjee, senior managers Anil Kumar Bhowmik, Debajyoti Chakraborty -- all three retired now -- and deputy manager Sripalli Veeraghanta (still serving), along with 25 big companies, for the alleged conspiracy hatched between 2013 and 2017, they said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out searches at 10 locations -- the residences and official premises of the four accused officers -- in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, the officials said.
The companies booked by the CBI included ACC, Adani Power Limited, Adani Power Maharashtra Unit-3, Adani Power Maharashtra Unit-1, Vedanta, Sesa Sterlite Limited (now Vedanta), JK Paper Limited, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, IFFCO and Emami Biotech Limited, they added.
The agency has also named Talwandi Saboo Power Limited, Aarati Steels Limited, Haldia Energy Limited, Atibir Industries Company Limited, Haldia Steels Limited, BILT Graphic Products Limited, JSL Limited, Jindal Stainless, Aryabrata Trading Private Limited, Kohinoor Paper and Newsprint (P) Limited, MSP Sponge and Power, MSP Steel and Power, IMFA Utkal Manufacturing and Services Limited and Factor Power Limited, besides unidentified individuals, including other officers of MCL.
It is alleged that the officials conspired with the accused companies with an intention to defraud MCL in a matter relating to supply of coal by it to the companies through rail rake under Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs), the officials said.
The accused public servants allegedly abused their official positions by allowing supply of coal to the said companies without adhering to the provisions and terms and conditions of the FSAs, falsified the records of MCL and did not recover due performance incentives and compensation from the accused coal consumers, the officials said.
The accused persons had allegedly caused an undue and wrongful loss to the tune of Rs 97 crore to MCL, they added.
