Corporate fraud probe body SFIO has started scrutinising documents relating to alleged Rs 870-crore fraud involving Reebok India and may soon take a call on questioning senior officials of the sportswear maker.
“We are still studying various documents relating the fraud after which we will begin interrogating senior officials of Reebok and also the two accused,” a source told PTI.
The documents, sources said, included annual reports and the findings of the Registrar of Companies.
The new Director of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), they said, is being briefed about the case and will soon decide on summoning the officials of the company.
When asked if it was true that the amount quoted by Reebok in its FIR was not real, an official said, “It is difficult to ascertain, at this juncture, what exactly the fraud size is.”
Last month, Adidas-owned Reebok India had filed an FIR, alleging that its former Managing Director Mr Subhinder Singh Prem and Chief Operating Officer Mr Vishnu Bhagat were involved in Rs 870-crore fraud by indulging in “criminal conspiracy” and “fraudulent” practices over a period of time.
Both the executives, however, had denied the allegations. Following this, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had ordered a scrutiny of the books of accounts of the sportswear maker Reebok’s Indian arm by the Registrar of Companies.
Later, the case was referred to SFIO, the investigation wing of MCA, and was given four months time to complete the probe. The I-T department too launched a probe into the finances of Reebok India.