People should come forward to lodge complaints in bribery cases: Lokayukta

BENGALURU: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil on Friday said a total of five people who were present at the time of receiving the bribe, including the person who was receiving the money, have been taken into custody so far in the case related to the raid on the KSDL chairman’s son Prashant Madal.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, he said, “A sum of Rs 2.02 crore was found at the office and Rs 6.10 crore was found at the residence. Investigation is going on and all the accused will be punished as per law. Among the five persons in our custody, three are bribe givers. Giving bribes is also an offence”.

Lauding the complainant for their “courage and conviction”, the Lokayukta said corruption is rampant in the state and appealed to people to come forward and lodge complaints in cases where bribes are sought for legal work. “The Karnataka High Court has entrusted us with a responsibility and we are working as per that”, he said. The Lokayukta offices are established in every district and people should join hands with the Lokayukta to rid society of corruption, he added.

Later, speaking to Public TV, he said, “Our officers have worked efficiently and seized the unaccounted money. Giving bribes to get any work done is also an offence. If people want to get their work done legally, they should follow the path taken by the complainant in this case. The complainant came to us with courage and insisted that the culprits should be caught. We acknowledged their approach, set up a team of officials and conducted the searches. People are becoming more aware these days and come to us with complaints. Due to this, we have been able to nab many corrupt officials. But there is a need to sensitise society more”.