First woman DRI chief under CBI scanner

First woman DRI chief under CBI scanner


New Delhi/Ahmedabad: The first woman chief of revenue intelligence department, Vijai Lakshmi Sharma, may be in trouble with the CBI investigating her in an alleged corruption case.
Sharma was chief commissioner, customs in Gujarat till September 3. CBI sources said the case dates back to 2001, when residences of six customs officials, including Sharma’s, who was the then Customs Commissioner, Delhi, were searched by the CBI in connection with a case of alleged customs duty evasion by Essar Oil Limited in 1999.
Sharma, a 1975 batch officer of Indian Customs and Central Excise service, took over as Chief of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence this week after her name for the top post was cleared by Cabinet Committee on Appointments. The CBI had alleged during that time customs officials and a certain bank officer had allegedly helped Essar in evading duty on equipment imported for their proposed refinery at Jamnagar, causing a loss of about Rs 36 crore to exchequer. The CBI investigation into the case, which was parallel to that of the probe undertaken by customs and even the DRI, had come to an abrupt end in 2004 following an order of CEGAT which had gone in favour of the company. This was followed by a series of litigations in the Supreme Court and CBI Court , customs, Kandla, the CBI showed interest in reopening the case.
The Gujarat High Court had, earlier this year, said the CBI did not need its permission to reopen the case, following which investigations were started again.
“It is a long drawn complicated case and it has been examined at various levels including at Central Excise and Gold Appellate Tribunal (CEGAT), Supreme Court, Central Vigilance Commission and DRI.
“Because of the legal complications, CBI not being made a party in the Supreme Court and non-availability of records from DRI, the CBI could not proceed with further probe. Now, the investigation is in process and is likely to be concluded shortly,” agency spokesperson HarshBhal said. Sharma, who is the first woman to head DRI since its inception in 1957, is not the main accused in the case but had “proximity” with one of the accused, a senior customs official, who is now dead. She could not be reached and no one from finance ministry was willing to comment.