ACB Files Case Against Assistant Commissioner of State Tax and Others for Rs 1 Crore Bribe Demand

GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 6th Feb. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has taken action against an Assistant Commissioner of State Tax and several officers from the Maharashtra GST department over allegations of soliciting a bribe amounting to Rs 1 crore from a company director to resolve a pending tax issue.

An official confirmed on Monday that an offence under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered by the ACB Mumbai unit against Arjun Suryawanshi, Assistant Commissioner of State Tax (Investigation Branch), and other implicated officers on Friday, February 2. Section 7 of the anti-corruption Act pertains to offences related to public servants being bribed.

The FIR was lodged following a letter from the Special Commissioner of State Tax and Chief Vigilance Officer to the Director General of Police (ACB), Maharashtra, urging an investigation into alleged corrupt practices by officers of the state tax investigation branch.

According to investigations, Suryawanshi and his team conducted raids on a firm between July 5 and August 7 the previous year, which reportedly owed more than Rs 20 crore in outstanding taxes. Despite repeated reminders, the firm’s director failed to settle the dues, prompting GST department officials to visit both his office and residence.

On August 21, Assistant Commissioner Suryawanshi allegedly communicated via WhatsApp, demanding Rs 1 crore from the firm’s director to resolve the tax issue. While no money changed hands, the investigation confirmed the bribe demand, leading to the registration of the FIR. Further inquiries are ongoing into the matter.