Bribery case: CBI clears its ex-special director Asthana

NEW DELHI: After conducting an exhaustive probe for over a year, the CBI has given a clean chit to its former special director Rakesh Asthana and CBI deputy SP Devender Kumar in a case of bribery filed against them by former CBI director Alok Verma.
The agency on Tuesday filed a chargesheet in the court concluding that there was no connection between Asthana and the alleged middleman Manoj Prasad, and no evidence to prove that Asthana ever demanded or received a bribe to save Satish Babu Sana in the money laundering case related to controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi.
The CBI has also found nothing against present R&AW chief, Samant Goel, who was named in the FIR filed at Verma's behest - a development that had left many flummoxed.
Dubai-based businessman, Prasad has, however, been charged in the case. Sources said that investigation will continue against his brother, Somesh, and father-in-law, Sunil Mittal. CBI has moved an application before the court in this regard.
On October 25, 2018, Asthana was booked by former director Verma on allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint filed by Hyderabad-based businessman Sana who was being probed by Asthana as part of a probe into money laundering by meat exporter, Moin Qureshi, leading Modi government to shift both of them out of the CBI and appoint Nageswara Rao the interim director.