New Delhi: The stench of official data espionage from the Ministry of Finance of may spread to other ministries, reports suggest. According to credible sources, confidential data from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs were also sold to corporate houses.
A senior official requesting anonymity said that they are verifying all documents available with them before taking a decision.
Meanwhile, the investigation agency for the third consecutive day questioned Reliance Industries Ltd vice-president (finance) K V Mohanan in connection to the case.
Chartered Accountant Rajendra P Chitale was also questioned in connection with its probe to the case.
A source said that they are being asked questions related to the leaks, which happened from the finance and commerce ministries, at regular intervals with the help of government officials.
CBI has already claimed in court that Mohanan and Chitale are ‘suspects’ in the case.
“The investigation is of complex nature which needs analysis of several documents which concern the financial clearances, economic affairs and policy decisions.
To understand how somebody could be benefitted with what kind of document, a thorough investigation is required, hence Mohanan and Chitale are being called for questioning again and again,” a CBI officer said.
CBI has so far arrested six persons including Under Secretary in the Department of Disinvestment and Grievances, Ashok Kumar Singh, Assistant in FIPB section Ram Niwas, Section Officer in the Department of Economic Affairs Lala Ram Sharma, Mumbai-based chartered accountant Khemchand Gandhi and Paresh Chimanlal Buddhadev, a partner in Chitale and Associates
Earlier, CBI had said that “first and second level of decision making in the finance ministry were compromised”. But now, agency sources said, the probe may bring under the scanner officials above these levels.