CHENNAI: The 41 FIRs registered by Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), based on which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched its money laundering investigation three months ago into the affairs of Tasmac, covered bribery allegations worth Rs 92 lakh.
They predominantly involve regional and district managers, flying squad officials, supervisors and salesmen of the state-owned liquor marketing company in 18 districts.
Of these 41 FIRs filed between 2017 and 2022, 34 were registered during the previous AIADMK regime while the remaining seven were filed after the DMK came to power in 2021, government sources said.
After intense searches at Tasmac headquarters and premises related to the firm, the ED, in a press release on March 13, said it had found incriminating materials indicating a scam of Rs 1,000 crore, where funds generated illegally by breweries and bottling units were given as kickback to officials for getting more procurement orders from them.
The agency said it found materials showing manipulation in Tasmac’s tender allocations, irregularities in transfer postings, bar licence tenders and indent orders favouring a few distilleries.
Illicit money seized by DVAC ranges from Rs 5k-Rs 5L; 16 accused are lower-level staff
The materials also showed collection of Rs 10-Rs 30 per bottle over and above the MRP at Tasmac outlets, the agency added.
Currently, 53 FIRs of DVAC registered to investigate corruption in Tasmac from 2016 to 2025 are available on their website, of which 41 have been used by ED as their predicate offence to register their Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), sources said.
An analysis of the 41 FIRs showed that overcharging of consumers at retail outlets, taking bribes for transfers, not acting on complaints of overcharging, and to allow running of illegal bars were the main allegations for which these FIRs were filed.
Of the 41 FIRs, 32 are based on surprise checks by DVAC squads which yielded seizure of cash allegedly obtained from sale of liquor at prices higher than MRP and collection of monthly bribes by Tasmac officials from supervisors and salesmen.
The remaining nine are based on complaints by Tasmac shop employees, owners of bars, and by a landlord on whose premises a bar was being operated.
Only one FIR, filed in November 2020 by DVAC’s Chennai I detachment, based on a surprise check, mentions allegations of breweries bribing Tasmac officials for a higher offtake from their companies. Representatives of Kingfisher and SNJ breweries were present at the shop during the surprise check, according to the FIR, but they have not been named as accused.
Of the bribe amount of Rs 92 lakh alleged or recovered during the checks mentioned in the FIRs, 40 cases accounted for Rs 30 lakh while one case accounted for the remaining Rs 62 lakh. The case alleges loss of Rs 62 lakh to the exchequer due to authorisation by a district Tasmac manager to allow 11 illegal bars to operate.
The illicit money seized by DVAC in these cases ranged from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh and even Rs 8.3 lakh in one particular case. Of the accused, 24 are at the level of senior regional manager, district manager and assistant manager, while 16 are lower-level staff like supervisors and salesmen. In one case, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and an assistant commissioner (excise) were named as accused.
Interestingly, in a case filed in July 2019 by the Kancheepuram detachment, the accused were police personnel from Mamallapuram, cops from prohibition enforcement wing, (PEW) and district excise officials who had allegedly taken bribes to turn a blind eye against illegal bars in the tourist town.
The case was filed after the owner of one such bar, who was allegedly forced to arrange a house on rent by a police inspector, immolated himself on the premises of the office of DSP, Mamallapuram, on May 28, 2019, unable to handle such demands. He had also recorded the harassment he faced and shared it on social media.
Of the 41, 11 pertain to corruption in Chennai city, four in Vellore district, three in Cuddalore, five in Villupuram and others in districts like Perambalur, Salem, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruvarur, Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi.
The Supreme Court stayed the ED’s probe in May based on a plea moved by the Tamil Nadu government. The Madras HC last week stayed ED’s investigation against two businessmen, Akash Baskaran and Vikram Ravindran, who were allegedly involved in the scam as per the central agency.
32/41 based on DVAC suprise checks
Of the 41 FIRs, 32 are based on surprise checks by DVAC squads which yielded seizure of cash obtained from sale of liquor at prices higher than MRP and collection of monthly bribes by Tasmac officials from supervisors
