The CBI has registered two preliminary enquiries (PEs) against unknown officials of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to probe alleged misappropriation of marketing and advertising funds of the organisation. Role of top officials of the BSNL is under the scanner of the agency.
Sources in the agency said, “Investigations into the PEs, registered on March 24, will be completed in three months. The agency will soon collect certain documents form the BSNL in this regard”.
“Initial probe by the agency has prima-facie found substantive indications that there was allegedly a ‘criminal conspiracy’ between the private firms and certain officials of the BSNL in awarding advertisement contracts worth `20 crores for 2008-09,” sources said. The agency, after registering two PEs, is now planning to quiz some top officials of the BSNL in this regard, sources added.
Probe has also revealed that in September 2008, the board of directors of the BSNL appointed a non-official part-time Director in the PSU. Later, the non-official part-time director was appointed as chairman of the committee, constituted for empanellement of new marketing agencies for the BSNL, sources said. Appointment of the non-official part-time director is also part of the investigation, sources added.
The agency has found that the Committee allegedly issued a release order to a private firm for advertisements for one month (Octo-ber/November 2008) at a gross value of `8.64 crores, sources said adding the firm which reportedly bagged the contract was not empanelled with the BSNL. “Investigations have further revealed that the committee of the BSNL invited quotations from two more firms for advertisement contracts for January 2009.