Days after a scam worth Rs 150 crore was exposed in the state’s GST department, a case of bribery has emerged. An assistant commissioner was suspended for allegedly demanding Rs 1 crore in cash for his superior from a businessman to settle a case of pending tax. After the bribe demand, the businessman filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against Assistant Commissioner Arjun Suryawanshi and his superior, Deputy Commissioner Mohan Bagde, who work at GST Bhavan, Mazagaon.

The case involves Dhiraj Pandey, who owns Dhiraj Petrochemical, a company with an office in Navi Mumbai. According to sources in the GST department, the company had an outstanding tax of up to Rs 24 crore. Towards the end of July, the GST department raided the company’s office and seized documents.