10-10-2006, 10:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Defence deals back in focus as CBI bares its fangs </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
...raids 35 places across the country, but makes no arrests
Five years after Tehelka sting operation revealed the alleged kicbacks on defence deals, the CBI on Tuesday launched prosecution against former Defence Minister George Fernandes for the purchase of Barak missile system from Israel<b>. The CBI also named the then Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley and former naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar as accused in the case.</b>
The CBI after registering a First Information Report (FIR) in the case on Monday, conducted country-wide raids at more than 35 places in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore against arms dealers on Tuesday and alleged kickbacks amounting to <b>Rs 2 crore were paid in the Rs 1,500 crore deal in year 2000 to buy seven Barak anti-missile missile system from the State-run Israel Aircraft Industries</b>. The CBI, however, did not arrest any person on Tuesday.
The CBI in its FIR alleged that Rs 2 crore were paid to Jaya Jaitley, who acted as an "agent" to clinch the deal and then naval chief was accused of "colluding with other accused to put up a note" to the then Defence Minister George Fernandes to import the system despite objections from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), CBI officials told reporters on Tuesday.
The CBI also alleged that Fernandes not only approved the proposal but tried to get it approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The investigating agency also named RK Jain, who was then treasurer of the Samata Party, as a recipient of a bribe of several lakhs in the deal.
The Government gave clearance for the purchase of the seven Barak systems for aircraft carrier INS Viraat and Delhi and Godavari class ships in 2000. The Navy approved the Barak system, a ship-borne, anti-missile-missile system, saying it matched its requirements and first tested the system in 1995 in the presence of DRDO officials.
<b>The deal for acquiring the Barak systems and 200 missiles for fitting on naval warships was signed on October 23, 2000.</b> In 2001, a sting operation by the Tehelka website exposed alleged irregularities in several weapons deals, including the one to purchase the Barak systems. Fernandes quit as Defence Minister after the scandal broke but returned to the post after some months. Jaya Jaitley too resigned from her post in the Samata Party.
The CBI officials said that the raids on Tuesday were conducted after nearly a year's probe and filing preliminary enquiry report against unnamed persons and searches were carried out at nearly four dozen places in five states against arms dealers involved in the purchases made during the tenure of former Defence Minister George Fernandes.
After registering three fresh cases in the designated court on Monday, <b>CBI teams swooped down at nearly 50 locations in the national capital, Gurgaon, Sangroor, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, including offices and residences of the arms dealers, </b>officials said.
<b>The raids were carried out at the residence and official premises of arms dealers Suresh Nanda, son of former naval chief Admiral SM Nanda, Congress MLA from Sangrur, Punjab Arvind Khanna, Sudhir Chowdhury and MS Sahani and recovered incriminating documents</b>, officials said.
<b>The Khannas including father Vipin and sons Aditya and Arvind had allegedly acted as middlemen in a defence deal with South Africa's Denel, </b>officials said.
Incidentally, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Aditya Khanna was facing the heat from Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in Iraq's oil-for-food scam.
</span>
Sudhir Chowdhury, a leading arms dealer of the country, came under the scanner along with Suresh Nanda as they allegedly played an active role in the purchase of the missiles.
The office and residence of another arms dealer, MS Sahani, was also searched by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the deal to purchase the Krasnopol terminally guided munitions after the Tehelka expose. The CBI said they would try and ascertain the role of these persons in relation to other cases being probed by the agency.
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Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
...raids 35 places across the country, but makes no arrests
Five years after Tehelka sting operation revealed the alleged kicbacks on defence deals, the CBI on Tuesday launched prosecution against former Defence Minister George Fernandes for the purchase of Barak missile system from Israel<b>. The CBI also named the then Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley and former naval chief Admiral Sushil Kumar as accused in the case.</b>
The CBI after registering a First Information Report (FIR) in the case on Monday, conducted country-wide raids at more than 35 places in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore against arms dealers on Tuesday and alleged kickbacks amounting to <b>Rs 2 crore were paid in the Rs 1,500 crore deal in year 2000 to buy seven Barak anti-missile missile system from the State-run Israel Aircraft Industries</b>. The CBI, however, did not arrest any person on Tuesday.
The CBI in its FIR alleged that Rs 2 crore were paid to Jaya Jaitley, who acted as an "agent" to clinch the deal and then naval chief was accused of "colluding with other accused to put up a note" to the then Defence Minister George Fernandes to import the system despite objections from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), CBI officials told reporters on Tuesday.
The CBI also alleged that Fernandes not only approved the proposal but tried to get it approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The investigating agency also named RK Jain, who was then treasurer of the Samata Party, as a recipient of a bribe of several lakhs in the deal.
The Government gave clearance for the purchase of the seven Barak systems for aircraft carrier INS Viraat and Delhi and Godavari class ships in 2000. The Navy approved the Barak system, a ship-borne, anti-missile-missile system, saying it matched its requirements and first tested the system in 1995 in the presence of DRDO officials.
<b>The deal for acquiring the Barak systems and 200 missiles for fitting on naval warships was signed on October 23, 2000.</b> In 2001, a sting operation by the Tehelka website exposed alleged irregularities in several weapons deals, including the one to purchase the Barak systems. Fernandes quit as Defence Minister after the scandal broke but returned to the post after some months. Jaya Jaitley too resigned from her post in the Samata Party.
The CBI officials said that the raids on Tuesday were conducted after nearly a year's probe and filing preliminary enquiry report against unnamed persons and searches were carried out at nearly four dozen places in five states against arms dealers involved in the purchases made during the tenure of former Defence Minister George Fernandes.
After registering three fresh cases in the designated court on Monday, <b>CBI teams swooped down at nearly 50 locations in the national capital, Gurgaon, Sangroor, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, including offices and residences of the arms dealers, </b>officials said.
<b>The raids were carried out at the residence and official premises of arms dealers Suresh Nanda, son of former naval chief Admiral SM Nanda, Congress MLA from Sangrur, Punjab Arvind Khanna, Sudhir Chowdhury and MS Sahani and recovered incriminating documents</b>, officials said.
<b>The Khannas including father Vipin and sons Aditya and Arvind had allegedly acted as middlemen in a defence deal with South Africa's Denel, </b>officials said.
Incidentally, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Aditya Khanna was facing the heat from Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in Iraq's oil-for-food scam.
</span>
Sudhir Chowdhury, a leading arms dealer of the country, came under the scanner along with Suresh Nanda as they allegedly played an active role in the purchase of the missiles.
The office and residence of another arms dealer, MS Sahani, was also searched by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the deal to purchase the Krasnopol terminally guided munitions after the Tehelka expose. The CBI said they would try and ascertain the role of these persons in relation to other cases being probed by the agency.
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