CBI sleuths raid Goa Shipyard chief

PANAJI, Feb 13: Investigating teams from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence and offices of Rear Admiral B R M...

PANAJI, Feb 13: Investigating teams from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence and offices of Rear Admiral B R Menon, chairperson and managing director of Goa Shipyard Ltd, on Friday.

The raiding team, which comprised 19 officers from the CBI’s Delhi and Chennai offices, interrogated Menon and his wife Girija and examined their bank accounts. During the day-long raid, which commenced at 6.30 am at the Menons’ residence, several documents were seized from the CMD’s office.

Menon, who has been engaged in a long battle with the Goa Shipyard Employees’ Union, has been accused of corruption in several defence-related deals. Recently, the union filed a case against him in the Bombay HC in this regard.

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Menon, however, insists that the CBI is only following up on anonymous complaints about corruption in certain defence deals. “They wanted to check payments made into my bank account,” he said. Menon also insists that the sleuths did not ask his wife to accompany them to the bank.“She had some work in the bank (State Bank of India) so they gave her a lift, he says.

Goa Shipyard Ltd, formerly a subsidiary of Mazgaon Docks Ltd (MDL), is engaged in the supply of boats, hovercrafts, vessels and other maritime-related equipment to the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies.