The CBI on Wednesday, 30 January, moved an application in a Delhi court, seeking its approval to carry out polygraph tests of two people in connection with the Rakesh Asthana bribery case – accused Manoj Prasad and the complainant Satish Sana Babu, ANI reported.
The hearing in the case is expected to take place on Thursday, 31 January.
Prasad, a Dubai-based investment banker, had been arrested on charges of having taken a bribe on Asthana’s behalf, and had received bail on 18 December. Sana, who had filed the complaint against Asthana, and who himself is facing charges of corruption in the Moin Qureshi meat exporter case, had alleged that Prasad had assured him of help in the case- at a price.
What did Sana Allege in His Complaint?
Before the court makes its decision on the polygraph tests on Prasad and Sana, here’s what the latter- implicating Asthana and Prasad- had said in his formal complaint to the CBI dated 15 October, 2018, according to ANI:
- Sana had claimed that Prasad had put him in touch with his brother, Somesh Prasad, who had asked him to pay an amount of Rs 5 crore, in order to receive “favour” in the case from a certain CBI officer.
- He further alleged that Somesh had showed him the Whatsapp profile picture of the CBI officer in question, which he claims was CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.
- Sana said that he then paid a sum of 2.95 crore to Somesh and one more accomplice in two installments.
- He also alleged that later when he confronted Manoj Prasad about the payments he had made and the promise of relief in the case in return, Prasad had reportedly told him that he had to “pay the balance amount of Rs 2 crore to avoid issuance of further notices from CBI and get full relief from CBI.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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