Wintrack CEO Prawin Ganeshan, who alleged he was forced to give bribes to clear goods at Chennai Customs, said he is firm on shutting down his operations.
00:00Okay and joining me now is Praveen Ganeshan, the Wintrack CEO who claims that he was forced to give bribes to the customs to clear his goods at Chennai customs.
00:10Appreciate your joining us Mr. Ganeshan, you've created quite a stir with your tweet where you've gone public accusing the Chennai customs of demanding bribes and you even threatened to close down your company because of the bribery.
00:22I want to understand what prompted you to go on social media and in a way expose as you're claiming the Chennai customs.
00:30Do you stand by the allegations because the Chennai customs is denying it?
00:36Hi Rajiv, I completely stand by my words which I have expressed in the social media because what harassment we have been going through for the past 45 days
00:48with regards to one shipment that is being held up by them because of my Twitter expose in Jan and June.
00:59In the month of Jan there was a bribery issue in Chennai customs, we exposed them and after the issue got solved I took down the tweet
01:07and again in the month of May there was a bribe demand of 5 lakhs and we paid 3 lakhs
01:12and one of the departments which did not receive the bribe share held up my CHS another shipment in the month of June.
01:20So at that time I had all the records of the bribes and everything I paid in May.
01:25So I put out the tweet in June.
01:27But may I ask you Mr. Ganeshan for a moment, you are coming on my program and saying you openly paid the bribe to the Chennai customs.
01:36Now, why didn't you go and expose these officials before a local court or indeed before their higher-ups rather than going on social media?
01:48Why did you end up paying a bribe?
01:50You could have gone and exposed them instead of paying up the bribe.
01:54No, this is the operation thing that is happening.
01:59Like even after our expos in January, all the shipments from February, March, April and May, all of the shipments we had to pay a little bribe.
02:09That is part of the system.
02:10We could not voice out every time because 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 like that.
02:15But in the month of May at one point there was three shipments held up at Chennai customs and we were demanded 5 lakhs and finally brought down to 3 lakhs.
02:26And the two departments only split the money, one and a half lakhs each.
02:31So another department held my CHA shipment in June and demanded I pay 1.5 lakhs for the shipments already cleared in May.
02:40If I didn't pay, they would not release the other's shipment.
02:45So at that time I had put it out in the social media.
02:48See, I have paid so much always every time.
02:50But may I ask you, Mr. Ganeshan, instead of paying the bribe, why did you go to the local authorities?
03:01Are you saying you have no confidence in the local authorities, in the customs, higher ups or the finance ministry to say that I am being forced to pay bribes?
03:08I mean, why did you end up going to social media?
03:12Because the Chennai customs says you are doing all this to avoid scrutiny that you yourself are guilty of violations and therefore you are blaming the customs.
03:21Your response?
03:23No, no, no. It's not the case.
03:25We have imported all the shipments from February to August is the same product, even which the product is being held up now.
03:33There is no different. More than 20, 25 shipments have been cleared.
03:36It's the same goods which is being held now.
03:39So there is no misdeclaration earlier or now.
03:42It's the same goods that have been repeatedly imported by us.
03:46And all of the shipments have been passed on, cleared by the same set of officers who are raising suspicious issue now.
03:58Okay, I'm going to ask you my final last question.
04:01This is my sixth question. Are you confident that the finance ministry which is now intervening will order a free and fair probe?
04:09Are you hopeful of this or are you going to go ahead and shut down your business because of these briberies?
04:13Are you going to shut down your business because you don't want to pay bribes anymore?
04:18No, no, no. I am very firm on shutting down because even in the twice incidents before, I have named the official and we have clearly stated all the proof.
04:27There was no action. The officer still works there. There is no departmental action also.
04:33So I think officers are shielding their own colleagues and there is no relief to the importer, however he reports, like social media or digital media.
04:42Let me leave it there. Mr. Ganeshan, we've heard you.
04:48You claim that the bribery is something which is part of the system.
04:53Thank you very much for joining me here on the show tonight.
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