Finally, almost a week after this newspaper exposed a massive liquor licence scam in the Excise department at Pernem, the action unfolded on Tuesday with a suspension of the UDC prime accused in the case and two other officials of the department even as a complaint lodged by an activist at the Pernem police station is yet to be acted upon.
The excise department has claimed to have recovered Rs 27.78 lakh from the UDC, but surprisingly the apathy to initiate criminal action against the accused only leads to the suspicion that there is more than what meets the eye. The liquor licence scam, which the department estimates at Rs 28 lakh, is believed to be in operation since 2018, raising serious doubts over the disclosure.
It is beyond anyone's comprehension that there is no legal action initiated on a crime that has already been established and has all the makings of a scam — from forging licences by misusing the department's stamp, forging rubber stamps of banks and printing fudged challans. The excise commissioner must explain the reluctance to take action and attempt to bring out the entire operation in the open. While the commissioner promptly accepted the scam, he refrained from taking immediate action against those involved, and even now, no criminal case has been made for misappropriation and forgery.
The scam also exposes a complete system break, with compromised counter-checks. The excise commissioner cannot absolve himself of his responsibility and must get to the bottom of this fraud, estimated to be around Rs 2 crore, way beyond the Rs 28 lakh declared. The earlier argument that action would be taken after the recovery of money is made is outrageous and shows a distinct deviation from the set protocol of handling financial fraud. It's like a person caught in a robbery is given a window of freedom to return the stolen money first while the long arm of the law and the system takes a snooze.
The belated suspension of the UDC and two inspectors cannot be the end of the story. There are a lot of questions that have gone unanswered. The commissioner must explain how the online licencing system has gone haywire for five years. Did he have no control over the department? Why did the department go soft on the accused? Was this fraud the handiwork of just the three who have been suspended, or are there more beneficiaries, direct or indirect? Also, how will the department rectify the misappropriation and reimburse those cheated in the process, and when?
A government that speaks of zero tolerance towards corruption cannot show complacency and reluctance in such glaring cases, especially where public money is involved. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant must crack the whip by immediately booking the culprits and expediting the internal probe leading to the dismissal of service. Also, an independent vigilance probe must be initiated. A deterrent must be set against those who commit financial fraud on people. Otherwise, it will set a horrible precedent, and people will lose trust in the system.
