MRO-TEK pays up under protest

BANGALORE: In an update on the MRO-TEK front, the company has paid up Rs 22 lakh as advance against charges of duty evasion. These charges are part of the first case filed by the department of revenue intelligence on April 25, 2003. The specific charge against which this advance has been made concerns import of new goods under the guise of repaired ones in an attempt to evade duty.



"This was part of the earlier complaint. It’s just that now they have accepted and paid the amount," a DRI official told CNS.

A source close to the company confirmed the payment saying, "This charge pertains to Return Material Authorization (RMA). We have paid the amount as an advance and under protest and will wait for the judicial proceedings."



Meanwhile, in an interesting twist, the chief investigator and DRI official in charge of the MRO-TEK case was picked up on charges of bribery in another case. Additional Director KS Bhat was arrested on the evening of June 29 for allegedly accepting a bribe from an excise inspector.



The affect of the bribery case on the MRO-TEK incident, if any, is not yet known. Replying to a question on whether Bhat’s arrest would affect the MRO case, DRI Bangalore Additional Director General A Vasudev said, "Not at all. They are two completely different cases. One has got nothing to do with the other."

Bhat was released on bail on June 30 with the CBI promising to continue investigations into the matter. Despite intense speculation during the day both Bhat and CBI officials were unavailable for comment.