It’s official: Canberra tells Delhi that papers show wheat payoffs

Deputy High Commissioner Vinod Kumar is understood to have informed MEA which, in turn, has routed it to the Commerce Ministry and the CBI.

While Kumar declined to comment, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office replied to a questionnaire from The Indian Express: “The Attorney-General’s Department is liasing with the Indian High Commissioner on whether the confidential nature of these arrangements (CBI’s request for mutual assistance) might be waived in this instance in a bid to further clarify our position.’’ While Australian authorities claim they co-operated with India during investigations and responded to the CBI’s Letter Rogatory in 2001, the CBI says it was forced to file a closure report in the absence of any concrete information from Canberra.

Said the Australian spokesperson: “The Government completely rejects any assertion that Australia did not cooperate in the matter.’’

Meanwhile, in Australia, political pressure is mounting on th government after reports that the Australian Wheat Board (which was in 1998 owned by the Government), did not inform the Federal Police about commissions being paid for the India deal.