Corporate espionage: More officials may be involved in leaks, say CBI sources

Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday carried out searches in Mumbai on a law firm and a chartered accountant in connection with its probe into alleged sale of confidential government documents on government policy to corporate groups.

The sources said so far the probe has indicated that “first and second” level of decision making in the ministries of finance and commerce relating to foreign investments was allegedly “compromised”.

They said the names of some more officials of these two ministries and about five more corporate groups have cropped up during investigation which will be probed by CBI in the near future.

The sources said a senior official has been sent to Mumbai for overseeing the probe in the matter.

They said about five more corporate groups are under the scanner for being the suspected beneficiaries of documents related to foreign investment policies which take the tally to about a dozen such business houses.

CBI has registered a case of criminal conspiracy, theft under the Indian Penal Code and misuse of official position under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against chartered accountant Khemchand Gandhi, under secretary in department of disinvestment and grievances Ashok Kumar Singh and section officer in the department of economic affairs Lala Ram Sharma.

It is alleged that the government servants were passing on documents related to foreign investment policies, which were being floated in the ministries, to Gandhi who in turn passed them on to big corporates for a price.

The agency on Friday carried out searches at the office of Chaitale Law Associates based in Worli and Mitesh J Majithia, another chartered account, who were alleged to be in touch with Gandhi for documents.