Loan fraud cases: CBI to hire tax experts from RBI, other financial institutions

New Delhi: CBI is looking for tax experts from RBI and other financial institutions to help it in probing high-profile cases including multi-crore rupees chit-fund scams and alleged loan fraud by businessman Vijay Mallya.

The agency, which is facing acute staff shortage, has written to all central government ministries, states, Reserve Bank of India and other financial institutions seeking "eligible and willing officers" to be appointed as advisers.

The CBI wants to appoint senior advisers on foreign trade or foreign exchange and taxation to provide technical assistance, according to the agency's communique.

"It may be noted that the officers coming on deputation to CBI are entitled for special incentive allowance at the rate of 15 percent on the pay," it said.

Financial institutions like RBI, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and banks can also nominate its officers for deputation to CBI, as per the letter.

These tax experts will be working in two crucial divisions of the CBI--Anti-Corruption and Economic Offences wings-- which are probing various scams.

The agency has recently formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana--working as Additional Director with it--to investigate important cases.

A total of 1,531 posts are vacant in CBI as against the sanctioned strength of 7,274.

In a submission made before a Parliamentary Committee, the CBI Director had said that the agency's capacity for investigation was around 700 cases a year which has now almost doubled, necessitating induction of more officers to supervise them.

A total of 1,200 domestic cases and 62 foreign investigations were pending probe, as per the CBI's submission.

While deposing before the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, the CBI Director had also proposed longer tenure for officers on deputation from states and central forces in addition to other steps to manage vacancies.

"He, therefore, expressed (the view) that unless state governments provide the manpower by way of sending more of their personnel on deputation to the CBI, a time could come that CBI would collapse and fail," the panel's report had said.