New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday registered a case against seven officials of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) over corruption charges. It is alleged that around Rs 5 crore had been paid to the contractors from January to August 2018 based on forgery and misappropriation of company funds.

According to news agency ANI, the, case was registered against the officials under section 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) 409 (Breach of Trust), 420 (Cheating and Forgery), 467 (Forgery of Valuable Security), 468 (Forgery for Purpose of Cheating), and 471 (Forged Documents Used) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the ANI report, the alleged wrongdoings came to light during a half-yearly audit carried out on October 10. The officials noticed that payments were made against certain vouchers without supporting documents, bills, invoices or work orders. "It was highlighted that an officer, in collusion with select contractors had forged official documents and fraudulently misappropriated funds over Rs 5 crore and cheated HAL "with a criminal and ulterior motive for his own benefits," ANI cited the complaint as saying.