Congress demands probe into Rs 8,546-crore 'bribe' charges against Amazon by SC judge

File image of Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

The Congress party on September 22 demanded a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the reports about alleged bribes to the tune of Rs 8,546 crore paid by US e-commerce giant Amazon in the name of legal fees in India in last two years.

Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, in a press conference, demanded that a probe should be conducted over the allegations under the supervision of the Supreme Court of India.

READ: Paid just Rs 52 crore in legal fees in FY 2020, says Amazon

“Which official and white-collar politician in the Government of India received a bribe of Rs 8,546 crore by Amazon. Was this bribe given in the Modi government to change the laws and rules so that the business of e-commerce company like Amazon can be run by closing the business of small shopkeepers and industries?” Surjewala asked..

भ्रष्टाचार अपरम्पार, रोजगार पर मार, नशे की भरमार

देश के भविष्य की “सुपारी” ले रही मोदी सरकार

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मोदी सरकार का निशाना साफ:

·देश की सम्पत्ति बेच देंगे
·दुकानदारों-छोटे उद्योगों का धंधा चौपट कर डालेंगे
·जो बच जाएगा चंद कंपनियों को दे देंगे
·युवाओं को नशे में धकेल देंगे

हमारा बयान-: pic.twitter.com/WxZJUzYu3Y

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— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 22, 2021

The Congress leader was referring to a report about Amazon, said to be investigating alleged bribes paid by its legal representatives in India, spending Rs 8,546 crore or $1.2 billion in legal expenses for maintaining a presence in the country during 2018-20.

Amazon India has clarified on legal and professional services costs and assured investigation into bribery charges.

“Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent? Will he demand the President of America to investigate the alleged bribery scam against the Amazon company? Shouldn't this so called bribery scam in the country be investigated by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court?” he said.

A report on September 19 by Morning Context said that Amazon has initiated an investigation against some of its legal representatives for allegedly bribing Indian government officials.

Also, read: A look at Amazon’s legal troubles in India

Surjewala also sought a response from the prime minister on nearly 3,000 kg of heroin from Afghanistan seized recently by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Mundra Port, located in coastal Gujarat's Kutch district.