Bribery and Corruption Casebook: The View from Under the Table

CHAPTER 25

Calling for Kickbacks

ANIL KUMAR

I spent my first few days at DS Ventures, my new employer in New Delhi, meeting people and settling into the environment. Rajat Malik, a tall, handsome young manager, would catch anyone’s attention the moment he walked through a door. Even I noticed him as a promising young employee. Rajat was a hardworking guy, generally the first one in the office and the last one to leave. He seemed like a self-starter who could be an example for his peers and the fresh management trainees inducted into DS Ventures. Rajat had a natural flair for stocks and commodity trading and often consulted with his peers and supervisors about market movements in the early morning.

Rajat was married and had a young son. He had worked as an engineer at a well-regarded organization before starting at DS Ventures and had earned a degree in business management from one of the finest institutions in the country. Rajat had rich experience in business planning and project finance. This, coupled with exceptional business knowledge and flair for hard work, helped him position himself as a confidant of the top management team.

Strong industrial growth in India, booming stock markets and emerging business opportunities resulted in significant foreign investment into the country. Most of the entrepreneurs in India were dreaming big and aspiring to scale up their companies, given the positive industrial sentiment and availability of abundant capital.

DS Ventures was part of ...