GST Commissioner held by CBI in bribery case in Guwahati

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Raju Shaktivel, Commissioner (Appeals), Central GST, Central Excise & Customs, Guwahati and a middleman in an alleged bribery case involving Rs 3.83 lakh.

CBI sources identified the middleman as Mahavir Jain. The sources said that a case was registered against Raju and three middlemen after a contractor alleged that he had executed construction work related to NF Railway and raised bills. The Additional Commissioner, Central Goods & Service Tax, Dibrugarh raised a demand of Service Tax amounting to Rs 48,43,034. Aggrieved with the order of Additional Commissioner, the complainant filed an appeal before the Commissioner (Appeals), CGST, against the adjudication order. It was further alleged that during one of the hearings of the said appeal, Commissioner Raju Shaktivel demanded a bribe of Rs 4,50,000, i.e., 10% of the demand of Service Tax through middlemen, which was further negotiated to Rs 3.83 lakh to settle the matter.

The sources said that the CBI laid a trap and caught a middleman while accepting bribe of Rs 3.83 lakh on behalf of Raju Shaktivel, who was also apprehended as searches conducted at the office led to the recovery of incriminating materials. Both the arrested accused will be produced before the competent court, the sources added.

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