The CBI has registered two more cases in connection with the alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks to private firms. And the firms against whom the cases were registered included the city-based Green Infrastructure Private Limited, now known as Athena Infrastructure Private Limited, and Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Private Limited based at Satna in Madhya Pradesh. The cases relate to coal block allocations made from 2006 to 2009.
Besides the directors of the two companies, the CBI has booked unnamed public servants on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the relevant Sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The premier investigation agency had carried out searches at 16 locations in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Rourkela, Satna, Jaipur, Vishakhapatnam and the national capital in connection with its probe into the sensational case.
According to the CBI officials, the cases have been registered in connection with the allegations related to securing coal blocks allocated on the basis of misrepresentations and false claims in the applications, presentations and connivance as well as for the lack of due diligence on the part of the public servants.
CBI sources said that the allegations against Green Infrastructure include inflating its actual networth from `2 crore to `4,600 crore by claiming an agreement with MMC Corporation Berhard, a company having operations in the fields of oil and gas, energy and utilities among others. Following the expression of interest (EoI) by Berhard for entering into an agreement with Green Infrastructure, the latter showed a combined net worth of the two companies and bagged the Fatehpur East coal block.
In the case of Kamal Sponge Steel and Power, the company showed its net worth as `55 crore instead of its real net worth of `16 crore, according to the audited balance sheet.
And the company submitted documents to the Union Steel Ministry showing 25 per cent excess capacity at its sponge iron plant, which existed only on paper. The company was allocated the Thesgudda-B coal block at Rudrapuri in Madhya Pradesh in 2008.
The CBI has so far registered cases against nine companies in the case.