CHOPPER SHOCKER
Wants Internal Inquiry Files, Says Initial Report Not Enough To Start Probe
New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday asked the defence ministry to furnish all documents, including those of its internal investigation, for registering a formal inquiry into the alleged kickbacks in the acquisition of 12 AW-101 helicopters from Italian firm AgustaWestland.
ACBI team met a joint secretary-level officer in the defence ministry, who is also acquisition manager (air), and sought all records required to proceed with the probe into the Rs 3,600 crore deal, agency sources said.
During the meeting, the CBI team asked the ministry to provide files related to any internal inquiry undertaken by it in connection with alleged payment of bribes, sources said. The agency also asked ministry officials to provide conclusions arrived at in the probe.
Sources said the agency got the 64-page report filed by Italian prosecutors through informal channels but it could not proceed with the probe on this basis. They said they had gone through the complaint given by the defence ministry and initial reports, but that was not sufficient to file a preliminary probe.
According to sources, defence ministry has deputed an IAF officer as nodal officer to help the CBI. They said the ministry provided some documents and also assured the agency that they would provide all details as soon as possible so that a probe can be initiated.
On Monday, Italian agencies arrested the then CEO of Finmeccanica’s subsidiary AgustaWestland, Giuseppe Orsi, for allegedly bribing Indian middlemen to clinch the deal.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate is monitoring the developments and might also register a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act once the CBI files an FIR.
‘BJP can’t compare VVIP chopper deal with Bofors case’
New Delhi:A day after the government ordered a CBI inquiry into the VVIP chopper deal, Union information & broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said the Opposition BJP was being “irresponsible” and “dangerous” by comparing the deal with the Bofors scam.
“And I think it is extremely dangerous and irresponsible to be drawing parallels through some other investigation. Let us also not forget that in February 2004, the Delhi HC quashed the charges in the Bofors case. There was an NDA government was at the helm. The NDA government did not even exercise the remit of filing a special leave petition in the SC,” Tewari said.
“This particular procurement process was initiated during the NDA government and culminated during the UPA government. Therefore it has to be borne across two administrations,” he said. TNN
COURTESY:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/02/15&PageLabel=17&EntityId=Ar01702&ViewMode=HTML
Wants Internal Inquiry Files, Says Initial Report Not Enough To Start Probe
New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday asked the defence ministry to furnish all documents, including those of its internal investigation, for registering a formal inquiry into the alleged kickbacks in the acquisition of 12 AW-101 helicopters from Italian firm AgustaWestland.
ACBI team met a joint secretary-level officer in the defence ministry, who is also acquisition manager (air), and sought all records required to proceed with the probe into the Rs 3,600 crore deal, agency sources said.
During the meeting, the CBI team asked the ministry to provide files related to any internal inquiry undertaken by it in connection with alleged payment of bribes, sources said. The agency also asked ministry officials to provide conclusions arrived at in the probe.
Sources said the agency got the 64-page report filed by Italian prosecutors through informal channels but it could not proceed with the probe on this basis. They said they had gone through the complaint given by the defence ministry and initial reports, but that was not sufficient to file a preliminary probe.
According to sources, defence ministry has deputed an IAF officer as nodal officer to help the CBI. They said the ministry provided some documents and also assured the agency that they would provide all details as soon as possible so that a probe can be initiated.
On Monday, Italian agencies arrested the then CEO of Finmeccanica’s subsidiary AgustaWestland, Giuseppe Orsi, for allegedly bribing Indian middlemen to clinch the deal.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate is monitoring the developments and might also register a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act once the CBI files an FIR.
‘BJP can’t compare VVIP chopper deal with Bofors case’
New Delhi:A day after the government ordered a CBI inquiry into the VVIP chopper deal, Union information & broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said the Opposition BJP was being “irresponsible” and “dangerous” by comparing the deal with the Bofors scam.
“And I think it is extremely dangerous and irresponsible to be drawing parallels through some other investigation. Let us also not forget that in February 2004, the Delhi HC quashed the charges in the Bofors case. There was an NDA government was at the helm. The NDA government did not even exercise the remit of filing a special leave petition in the SC,” Tewari said.
“This particular procurement process was initiated during the NDA government and culminated during the UPA government. Therefore it has to be borne across two administrations,” he said. TNN
COURTESY:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/02/15&PageLabel=17&EntityId=Ar01702&ViewMode=HTML
No comments:
Post a Comment