CBI names 12 NGO representatives in illegal issuance of FCRA licence case, 14 arrested
THE CBI CASE ALSO NAMES 6 OFFICIALS OF FCRA DIVISION OF THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
Neeraj Chauhan
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named representatives of at least 12 nongovernment organisations (NGOS) and institutions, including Omidyar Network that is supported by billionaire philanthropist and e-bay founder Pierre Omidyar, over an alleged case of bribe-for-approval. The case also names six officials of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) division of the ministry of home affairs (MHA), one National Informatics Centre (NIC) official, two hawala operators, and several middlemen.
The action came after the central agency raided 40 locations on Tuesday in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Manipur after receiving a communication from Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla.
Bhalla reported suspicion of at least three FCRA clearance networks that were purportedly operating in connivance with government servants.
Following Tuesday’s raids, 14 people, including six government servants, were arrested and ₹3.21 crore was retrieved.
The government staffers were identified as current FCRA division personnel Tushar Kanti Roy, Raj Kumar and Saheed
Khan and former officials in the division, Parmod Kumar Bhasin, Alok Ranjan and Ghazanfar Ali. An NIC official — Uma Shankar, who allegedly assisted t he accused persons, is also named in the CBI first information report (FIR) but was yet to be arrested, the agency said.
In all, the agency has named 36 individuals and entities along with “unknown persons” for being part of what it said was a well-oiled network to provide FCRA clearances illegally.
The FIR, reviewed by HT, said: “the promoters and representatives of various NGOS, some middlemen, and public servants impersonating themselves as posted in FCRA division were collecting bribes from NGOS for facilitating registration, renewal and prior-permission for foreign funding licences.”
“The NGOS were getting FCRA clearances through ‘backdoor’ so that they could continue receiving funds from foreign donors despite not fulfilling the prescribed norms. They also generated fake invoices to justify their expenditure for the defined cause,” the agency added.
Omidyar Network India did not respond to an email requesting comment.
According to the FIR, one Devesh Chandra Mishra from Hauz Khas contacted Roy for clearing permission to receive foreign remittance worth ₹3 crore as donation for Omidyar. Roy assured Mishra that permission would be arranged but demanded 10% of the remittance as bribe. Mishra told him 10% was too high, and that promoters of Omidyar were ready to pay ₹5 lakh, the FIR alleges.