NEW DELHI, June 17: As part of its probe into alleged fake travel bills scam, CBI today examined Rajya Sabha MP Brajesh Pathak and former BJD MP Renubala Pradhan in connection with submitting of bills to claim reimbursement from the Government coffers.
CBI sources said Pathak was asked in details in connection with the submission of bills worth over Rs 2.20 lakh whereas he paid only Rs 10,000 for his travels by Air India.
When contacted, Pathak said the travel agent in Green Park here had booked ticket for him on the basis of which he travelled.
“The boarding pass and ticket were provided to me by the travel agent and my PA. I just travelled on that,” he said.
CBI recently registered cases against three sitting MPs, including Pathak, and three former MPs, including Pradhan, for submitting allegedly fake inflated bills for claiming reimbursement for their air-travels, the sources said.
It is alleged in the FIR against Pradhan that she had presented four bills worth Rs 1.62 lakh whereas Rs 5,600 was actually paid to Air India.
Pradhan could not be reached for her comments on the development. However, soon after registration of the case against her, Pradhan had said “I don’t know anything about the LTC scam.”
She had also said that she would be meeting CBI officers to clarify her position.
The sources said MPs had booked their tickets under an Air India promotional scheme where full fare economy class ticket passengers were entitled to have one ticket for their companion at much cheaper rates but submitted e-tickets of full fare for claiming reimbursement.
They said the difference of fare on companion ticket allegedly was a benefit to the concerned MP.
The sources said the case arose from the interrogation of JD(U) MP Anil Kumar Sahani against whom a case was registered by CBI in November last for allegedly presenting fake bills to claim the reimbursement.
They said Sahani had claimed that the practice was purportedly rampant among parliamentarians and why was he being singled out for the alleged offences.
This testimony prompted the agency to collect documents from the Rajya Sabha Secretary, the scrutiny of which showed instances where such allegedly inflated bills were submitted.
“In these six cases, there were repeated instances of submitting fake bills, hence we registered cases against them. We have, so far, given benefit of doubt to instances where MPs have submitted just one such bill,” an official said.
Besides, Pathak and Pradhan, CBI has also registered FIRs against sitting MPs D Bandopadhyay of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Lalhming Liana of Mizo National Front.
Former Rajya Sabha members J P N Singh (BJP) and Mahmood A Madani (Rashtriya Lok Dal) have also been named in the FIRs against them. (PTI)
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