CHENNAI: The CBI Special Court in Chennai has acquitted four persons, including the former Chairman and Managing Director and the General Manager of Chennai Fertilisers Corporation, in a bribery case involving an alleged payment of Rs 26 lakh for awarding a tender.

According to the CBI, the central public sector enterprise based in Manali had floated tenders in 2012 for the purchase of four compressors. The tender was later cancelled and reissued, with the contract allegedly awarded to a company named Boge at a higher price. Investigators claimed that a bribe of Rs 1 crore had been negotiated, of which Rs 26 lakh was received.

The case was filed against former Chairman and Managing Director I Vijayakumar, General Manager D Sundarasekaran, Boge Company, and its distributor, PI Company.

Delivering the verdict, IX Additional CBI Special Judge S Isvarane observed that the tender awarded to Boge was subsequently cancelled and no payment had been made to the company. As a result, there was no financial loss to the government.

The court also found that there was no substantive evidence to prove that any bribe had been received and noted that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Consequently, all four accused were acquitted.