Chennai: The Opposition DMK has now taken the multi-million dollar Cognizant scam to the next level of political warfare by petitioning the CBI to investigate the AIADMK ministers and officials allegedly connected with graft in sanctioning the building permit, electricity and environment clearance to the Chennai facilities of the US-based IT company in 2014.
Former DMK minister T M Anbarasan on Tuesday presented his petition to the Joint Director/CBI at his office here and told media persons that the “mega scam” involving TN ministers and officials must be probed by the Central agency since it has international players involved. Party sources said his petition is “just a precursor to moving the appropriate court for getting orders for CBI investigation”.
In the elaborative narrative accompanying the probe request, Anbarasan in his petition said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of USA had in 2014 “initiated an investigation against Cognizant for paying a $2 million bribe to senior government officials in Tamil Nadu to obtain planning permit for construction of its 2.7 million square feet campus at the Cognizant Technology Solutions KITS campus and the campus at Siruseri in Kancheepuram district”.
Quoting extensively from the SEC indictment of Cognizant and its top officials-president Gordon Coburn and chief legal officer Steven E Schwartz-the DMK petition to CBI said the two men had authorised the payment of the said bribe”demanded by top-most state government officials of the housing and urban development department and of the CMDA in April 2014” through the construction firm that handled the building and related works in the Cognizant India properties in Chennai.
With the TN officials insisting on bribes for clearing the approvals, the Cognizant officials in the US and Chennai held video conference and evolved a method by which the bribes were paid”through a series of sham contract change orders”.
Based on this conspiracy between the Cognizant officials in US and Chennai to bribe the TN officials and ministers,”the construction company was made to yield to the larger plan of payment of bribe …through the construction company itself and accordingly the bribe as demanded by the public servants was paid in late May-early June, 2014”, said the DMK petition, which also alleged there were Cognizant bribes to the tune of US$ 770,000 paid in Pune for obtaining environmental clearance
The DMK petition also argued that the state directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) cannot investigate these offences coming under the Prevention of Corruption Act as the transactions involved money from abroad and also offences committed abroad.
Besides, there are inter-state and internationalramifications.” Further, admittedly, there are top state government officials involved”, it said, seeking a CBI probe to ensure”a free and fairinvestigation ” and”to maintain public faith in the criminal justice system”.
