PANJIM: In a twist, where otherwise government employees are accused of taking bribe, here is a case of a public servant offering a bribe to topple a municipal council chairman.
Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has filed a FIR against Sakhali Municipal Council (SMC) Chief Officer Shripad Arlekar for offering Rs 5 lakh to a councilor to sign on the no confidence motion against SMC chairman Dharmesh Saglani.
A senior ACB officer said the FIR was filed last month based on the complaint by councillor Damodar Ghadi.
ACB sources said that a trap laid to apprehend Arlekar failed at last moment. ACB has registered the FIR based on primary evidence of audio recordings from phone conversations.
According to the complaint, Arlekar called Ghadi over the phone offering him Rs 5 lakh for his signature on the no confidence motion against Saglani.
“He initially told me to quote my amount to sign on the no confidence motion and thereafter on June 20, 2016 he called me and informed me that an amount of Rs 5 lakh has been kept ready for me,” Ghadi said.
He has sought a thorough investigation in the matter on an urgent basis. He said that the role of the Chief Officer in toppling the chairman is questionable as being a government employee he cannot interfere in such matters, that too offering a bribe while being a public servant.
Saglani, said that in the last three years the government has not cooperated with the council. He said that in three years there have been seven Chief Officers, two accounts officers and four municipal engineers which is affecting the development of the municipality.
There are several resolutions taken by the ruling council which are not executed by the Chief Officers just because the council is not attached to the ruling BJP government.
“We demand the immediate suspension of Chief Officer Arlekar for an impartial investigation in the offence, as the source of money and who is behind the entire episode has to be found out,” Saglani said.
