Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 4

A special CBI court today framed charges against two senior officials at the office of the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA), Western Command, Sector 9, Chandigarh, for taking Rs 20,000 bribe for issuing an annual settlement certificate to a trader who supplied stationery and electronic items to the Army.Senior Auditor Vitesh Kumar and Assistant Accounts Officer Kashmiri Lal have been chargesheeted under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998.According to the CBI, Vitesh was arrested while taking bribe and Kashmiri Lal was held on the basis of a conversation with the complainant in May last year.The complainant had told the CBI that the officials demanded bribe from his brother-in-law, based in Pathankot, for issuing an annual settlement certificate to his firm.The CBI further added that a payment of Rs 10.50 lakh was pending with the Army and both officers were demanding 10 per cent of the total amount for clearing his bills and to issue him a fresh annual settlement certificate, which was mandatory for further contracts.