Guwahati: The original complainants in the high-profile Louis Berger bribery scandal have said they will approach the Gauhati High Court later this month to challenge the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report after the CBI court disposed of the matter on Wednesday.
Abdul Wahed and Jayanta Gogoi, the complainants in the case, had opposed the CBI’s decision to close the investigation, arguing that the agency had failed to pursue crucial leads, including overseas evidence and the alleged money trail.
Advocate Krishna Gogoi appeared for the petitioners during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Abdul Wahed said the complainants were dissatisfied with the outcome and would pursue fresh legal action.
“We are not happy at the verdict by the honourable court and will move the Gauhati High Court at the end of this month challenging CBI’s decision to close the case prematurely ,” Wahed said.
The latest proceedings follow a formal objection and protest petition filed by Wahed and Gogoi before the Special Judge, CBI court in Guwahati, on October 8, 2026, opposing the closure report submitted by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption-I branch, New Delhi, on May 12, 2026.
The CBI report had recommended dropping criminal proceedings against all parties, citing a lack of prosecutable evidence.
In their protest petition, the complainants described the closure as premature and legally flawed, arguing that several important investigative avenues remain unexplored.
A key objection concerned a Letter Rogatory sent to the United States on April 24, 2016, which, according to the petitioners, remained unexecuted. The request had sought certified copies of US court judgments and the examination of six individuals, including former Louis Berger executive James McClung and Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel.
The complainants argued that the CBI could not rely on a lack of evidence to justify closure when the formal process initiated to obtain crucial overseas documents and witness statements had not been completed.
The protest petition also questioned the CBI’s focus on procedural aspects of the procurement process instead of pursuing the alleged bribery money trail.
The CBI’s final report stated that the selection of the Project Management Consultant for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded South Central and North Guwahati Drinking Water Supply Project had followed official guidelines. It also stated that scrutiny of the bank accounts of select subcontractors had not revealed direct transactions to public servants on the selection committee.
The complainants, however, argued that such an approach was inadequate, pointing out that alleged kickbacks could have been routed through intermediaries, offshore channels or layered financial transactions rather than direct bank transfers.
They also cited the CBI report’s reference to an internal investigation by US law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP, which reportedly found circumstantial evidence of potentially improper payments to Assam government officials between 2009 and 2013.
An email communication between Prasana Shah and James McClung dated August 17, 2010, was also cited as a lead requiring further investigation.
The case originated in July 2015, when an FIR was registered at Dispur Police Station following international disclosures that New Jersey-based consultancy firm Louis Berger had allegedly paid around Rs 6 crore in bribes to Assam ministers and officials to secure consultancy contracts for the Guwahati Water Supply Project.
The Gauhati High Court directed the CBI to take over the investigation from the Assam CID on September 1, 2017. The agency subsequently re-registered the FIR under Sections 120-B, 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Investigating Officer Ankit Meena, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CBI Anti-Corruption-I branch, submitted the closure report on May 12, 2026, concluding that no prosecutable evidence had emerged.