Rakesh Asthana bribery case: CBI moves application in court seeking polygraph test of Manoj Prasad, SS Babu

New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday moved an application in a Delhi court seeking consent for conducting polygraph test of accused Manoj Prasad and complainant Satish Sana Babu, in the high profile Rakesh Asthana bribery case. The hearing of the case is scheduled to take place on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_4498957” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP[/caption] Dubai-based investment banker Manoj Prasad, allegedly a middleman in the CBI bribery case, is accused of taking a bribe on behalf of then Special Director Rakesh Asthana and was granted bail by a Patiala House court on 18 December. Hyderabad-based Satish Sana, who is facing a CBI probe in a corruption case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, had alleged to have met Manoj Prasad in Dubai. Prasad had apparently informed Sana about having ‘very good connection’ in CBI and assured Sana of helping in the case through his brother Somesh Prasad. Sana’s complaint was received by CBI on 15 October and an official FIR against Asthana was registered on 21 October. Prasad was arrested on 17 October by the CBI for allegedly seeking Rs 5 crore from Sana for getting him relief from the CBI’s summons. Complainant Sana, in his letter to the CBI Director, had alleged that Manoj Prasad’s brother, Somesh Prasad asked him to pay an amount of Rs 5 crore to get favour in the case from a CBI officer. The complainant had further claimed that upon query about the CBI officer about whom Somesh was speaking, he showed him a WhatsApp profile picture of his contact which allegedly was of Special Director Asthana. Thereafter, the complainant alleged to have paid a sum of 2.95 crore to Somesh Prasad and one of his accomplice in two installments. Sana had also alleged of later confronting Manoj Prasad about the previous payment and the promise of relief in the case, on which Prasad reportedly informed him that ‘he had to pay the balance amount of Rs 2 crore to avoid issuance of further notices from CBI and get full relief from CBI’.