Infosys CEO Parekh spent Rs 22 lakh on personal travel: whistleblower

There seems to be no end of troubles for global software major Infosys Ltd as another whistleblower complaint has surfaced against Chief Executive Salil Parekh, accusing him of working in violation of the company norms. The whistleblower complaint letter, which does not have any signature or date mentioned in it, says Parekh -- during his one year and eight-month tenure at Infosys -- has been working from Mumbai, despite the company rules that CEO has to be based in Bengaluru. The whistleblower questioned why the Infosys board had been silent on the matter so far.

"Though it is a year and 8 months since Parekh joined the company, he operates from Mumbai in violation of the condition that the CEO has to be based in Bengaluru and not Mumbai. What is stopping the board to insist on his movement to Bengaluru," the letter, accessed by IANS through sources on Monday night, says. The letter has been addressed to Infosys Chairman and co-founder Nandan Nilekani and independent directors on the board, the report said.

The whistleblower, who claims to be working in the finance department of the company, didn't reveal his identity because, he said, he could face "retaliation" after these disclosures.

Also read: 'Those two Madrasis make silly points, ignore them': Infosys CEO Salil Parekh's alleged remarks in whistleblower letter

"I am an employee working in the finance department. I am submitting this whistleblower complaint as the matter is so volatile that I fear retaliation if I disclose my identity. Please excuse me for the same, but the matter is of grave importance," the letter said.

The complainant claims Infosys has incurred Rs 22 lakh towards Parekh's airfare and transportation costs because he didn't relocate to Bengaluru.

The complainant urged the company and its board to take suitable action against Parekh for these violations. "Hope that you will execute your responsibilities in the true spirit of Infosys and in favour of employees and shareholders who have so much of faith in the company," the letter said. Meanwhile, Infosys is yet to comment on the issue.

The previous whistleblower letters, which first surfaced on October 21, alleging "unethical practices" at Infosys had rocked the tech services giant, forcing the company to initiate an investigation into the allegations.

Also read: Infosys Chairman Nilekani recuses CEO Parekh, CFO Roy from investigation of allegations

The previous whistleblower letter had also flagged the issue of Parekh's travel expenses. The anonymous group alleged that Infosys paid the travel expenses for Parekh's weekly personal trips. "CEO spends two and a half days in a week in Ecity and rest in Mumbai. All his travel expenses are paid by the company, for these weekly personal trips. He is a green card holder and avoids deduction of taxes during his US travel which is non-compliance," the letter said.

In response to the allegations levelled in the previous complaints, Parekh had said he worked with "commitment and integrity" to deliver a major business transformation in the company. He said he believed in "inclusiveness" and had no place for "divisiveness". He maintained that he had also recused himself from the probe and respected the audit committee that's conducting the probe.

Also read: Nandan Nilekani on 'unethical practices' charge: 'Even God can't change Infosys numbers'

During the analyst call last week, Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani said Infosys had "very strong" processes and that even "God can't change the numbers of the company". Nilekani also said that Infosys would soon share the findings of the ongoing investigation into the whistleblower complaints.

Infosys has appointed an audit committee, comprising its auditors Deloitte and EY, and an external law firm, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations made in the complaints. So far, the company says, it has not found any evidence to corroborate anonymous whistleblowers' complaints that alleged "unethical practices" by the company's top officials, including CEO Parekh and COO Roy.

Also read: Infosys Chairman Nilekani recuses CEO Parekh, CFO Roy from investigation of allegations

Also read: Infosys pays for CEO Salil Parekh's weekly personal trips, alleges whistleblower letter

Edited by Manoj Sharma