CVC is late, so A-I chief gets a term

In a letter to the ministry last week, the CVC has stated that owing to the allegations against Gogoi and other directors of Air-India, ‘‘the Commission withholds vigilance clearance for extension of his tenure beyond 31-01-03.’’

The CVC reference is to the case in which Air-India directors including Gogoi were accused of showing undue favours to M/S Caribjet ‘‘and making payment of $157 per block hour during April to December 1995, over and above the terms and conditions of the contract and not even obtaining post-facto approval from Board of Directors of Air-India and the ministry for the same.’’

In February, the CBI had registered a case against Gogoi, two of his predecessors and 11 others, two years after it first began investigations into financial bunglings and allegations of siphoning out Rs 3.35 crore for wet leasing two aircraft from Caribjet in 1994. Later, in 1997, Air-India had to pay damages worth over Rs 103 crore to Carugjet after it lost an arbitration case against the company in London in 1997.

When contacted, Gogoi told The Indian Express: ‘‘I have not heard anything about this CVC letter. Anyway I have no idea and it is for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to take a decision on the issue.’’