The CBI came across email communications which revealed that payments were made to the accused officials for various favours, including clearance of bills and invoices
AMN / WEB DESK
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an alleged case of corruption against Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), eight officials of NMDC Limited and NMDC Iron and Steel Plant (NISP) Limited, and two officials of MECON Limited, which come under the Ministry of Steel, in connection with a work contract worth over ₹314.57 crore.
Through electoral bonds, MEIL had donated ₹584 crore to the BJP, ₹195 crore to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and ₹85 crore to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), besides ₹37 crore to the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), ₹28 crore to Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and ₹18 crore to the Indian National Congress. Its subsidiary, Western U.P. Power Transmission Company Limited, donated ₹110 crore to the Congress and ₹80 crore to the BJP, as reported earlier.
The case was registered by the CBI on March 31, weeks after the EB data was first made public on March 14.
On March 18, CBI deputy superintendent of police at the agency’s Chhattisgarh office wrote to his superiors about the preliminary enquiry – a precursor to the FIR – that was registered in August last year.
According to the FIR made public on Saturday, NMDC and MECON officials received over ₹78 lakh in bribes for payment of over ₹174 crore against 73 invoices till December 2018 in connection with work related to the Jagdalpur integrated steel plant,
The firm was awarded the project related to works of the intake well, pump house and cross-country pipeline at the integrated steel plant Jagdalpur.