CBI supplies fresh details in HDW case to Germany, Switzerland

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27: The CBI today informed the Delhi High Court that it has provided further information sought recently by Swiss and Ger...

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27: The CBI today informed the Delhi High Court that it has provided further information sought recently by Swiss and German authorities on the alleged payoffs in Rs 420 crore HDW submarine deal between India and a German company, to help procure evidence from these countries.

CBI counsel A K Dutt told a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice Cyriac Joseph that the case was being earnestly pursued by the authorities concerned in both the countries to complete the probe.

CBI, in its FIR registered in 1990, had alleged at least seven per cent commission was paid to middlemen in the deal signed by the Indian Government in 1983 for acquiring two submarines from German company HDW.

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A senior CBI officer during the last hearing had stated that the probe had been completed in the country and the agency was now investigating the case in Germany and Switzerland through letters rogatory issued by a special court here.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking speedy investigation into the case.

Advocate B L Wadhera, who had filed the PIL, alleged that one of the reasons for delay was that CBI could not supply the German authorities translated version of the case and other related documents following a request made in 1998 by them.

Directing CBI to furnish a fresh status report by next date of hearing, the court adjourned the matter till July 3.

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The petitioner requested the court to ask CBI to examine former prime minister V P Singh afresh as he had given a statement under oath regarding the case before the Jain Commission which probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

He said Singh’s evidence was necessary because he, as defence minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, had ordered an inquiry into the payment of seven per cent alleged kickbacks to middlemen in the deal.

However, the court did not give any specific direction in this regard after CBI counsel stated that Singh’s statement had recently been recorded by the agency.

CBI in its FIR registered on March 5, 1990, had named former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, former additional secretary (defence) S S Sidhu, former director of Submarine in Naval Headquarters M Kondath, former additional financial advisor in the ministry of defence B S Ramaswamy and former vice chief of naval staff M R Schunker as accused in the case.

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Others named in the FIR are NRI businessman Gopi Chand Hinduja of HDW company, German company AEG Telefonken and a Delhi-based firm Roger India Private Ltd.