Mystery deepens as ONGC suspends a General Manager-Finance over alleged scam
A Deep mystery has been shrouded with the suspension of a General Manager in the Finance section of the state-run Maharatna, ONGC early this month, which the insiders feel may surmount all other corrupt deals in recent times and running into several crores of rupees.
The massive scam has originated from Ahmedabad, where this General Manager had been posted for years.
The officer, who is alleged to have indulged in a well-oiled corrupt machine, had reportedly been making early payments to some preferred vendors at the cost of huge interest losses for the company.
According to reports, the General Manager who was also the head of finance in ONGC’s Ahmedabad Asset, was allegedly so desperate to make early payments to the contractors that he took the extreme option to impersonate other officers by using their passwords to make the transaction.
The desperation had gone to such an extent that even after being transferred to Mumbai, he reportedly continued to indulge in this trailblazing corruption that went on for months, if not years.
Based on a tip-off, the Vigilance section of Ahmedabad launched an enquiry on December, 6th, when the entire company was paying tributes to the Great Baba Saheb Ambedkar on his Death Anniversary.
Much to the shock of the sleuths, 36 cases came to the fore in which the payments were made before the bills were due between July and October 2023. According to sources, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
“It is not unknown that the said officer has a tainted integrity. But he could manage his posting in Ahmedabad for years despite his misdemeanour and financial irregularities, through his high-level contacts both in the management and in the officers’ association (ASTO),” alleged a senior official.
What is most shocking is the fact that, in spite of the knowledge of his corrupt practices, the hefty 4’10” officer went scot-free all these years.
“That the man has a malafide intent is a piece of common knowledge. It is also not unknown who has patronised him for at least 20 years. The company has launched a vendor management system with lots of hullaballoo. But surprisingly the top management, particularly the office of Director Finance caught unaware of corruption of such a scale,” said the official.
Even the matter was kept under the carpet to keep the Chairman & CEO Mr Arun Kumar Singh completely unaware although his Executive Officer is from the Vigilance Department, alleged another official.
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“is it a riddle that will need the team of sleuths for months to decipher? Or it has been a deep-rooted conspiracy in which many people, particularly in Delhi, are involved,” said another source, adding, “The scam of this scale cannot go unnoticed for years.”
Multiple sources have confided that the Chairman, on knowing the corrupt deals reportedly from an online portal, expressed his strongest anguish and sought immediate action against the errant official.
And the suspension order followed the Chairman’s high-decibel reaction that resonated in the entire management cabinet. The Chairman has also reportedly mince no words to express his high level of annoyance against the delayed disciplinary action. Incidentally, the Director-Finance, Ms Pomila Jaspal, who is superannuating in the month’s end, is also the Director in charge of Disciplines and Appeals.
When asked about the development, the ONGC spokesperson said he had no knowledge about any such irregularities and the Chairman’s explicit anger against the disciplinary authorities.
The ONGC insiders fear that merely a suspension order may not be able to daunt the General Manager from tampering with the shreds of evidence. Strong action must be taken against the officer and all his accomplices (if any) to set an example in the company, they demanded…By Under Cover Reporter of NewsIP.in