Any source please?
I was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore, says Army Chief
- Thread starter Vishwarupa
- Start date
I have a question for you regarding the process of investigation in to matters like this brought to our attention. Once this was disclosed to Minister of Defence, whose responsibility is it to investigate and file FIR? We have a radio call in show in Canada and have brought up the same question to a journalist from Chandigarh which he could not answer due to lack of knowledge on this matter.
sesha_maruthi27
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Sir, in fact I was joking about the honesty of the minister to delay the proceedings as it the work of the present GoI to go slow on all the scandals investigation process and this shows how deep this present GoI is spreading corruption into the work of the GoI.I appreciate honesty.
But I cannot condone impotency as honesty.
And don't ask me to give it in writing!
trackwhack
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Right time for China to move on Arunachal!
sesha_maruthi27
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INDIA is prepared for anything, let the dragon come and get its nose cut and I bet this time around it will be bloody if China tries to do any mischief. Remember that Russia is also in fight over its territory with China and Russia can attack and it will take some while for the Chinese to mobilize troops but the launch of any attack is not possible under some conditions and INDIA can drag the attack till he winter starts and it is tough for the Chinese to attack INDIA during the winter as we have some edge in the Terrain.
Anshu Attri
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Anshu Attri
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Blackwater
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on the same time pak to take kashmir:taunt1::taunt1:
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Looks like army chief himself landed in trouble ... Didn't the army chief came up with this revelation a coverup for something?..
Antony & Congress response about scandal:
_____Antony told chief then to file a complaint when army chief said about the bribe, but the the army chief objected saying he didn't want to proceed..
why the army chief objected to file complaint then and is revealing all again now..?..
Antony & Congress response about scandal:
_____Antony told chief then to file a complaint when army chief said about the bribe, but the the army chief objected saying he didn't want to proceed..
why the army chief objected to file complaint then and is revealing all again now..?..
Bhadra
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Bribe row puts spotlight on BEML's Tatra
by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 28th Mar 12
The electrifying revelation by Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore — apparently to sanction the purchase of 600 Kolos Tatra high-mobility vehicles — has highlighted a crucial question: How has the defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), been supplying the army with what it considers a largely imported vehicle at an exorbitant price for a quarter of a century?
Since 1987, when BEML supplied the army with the first Tatra high-mobility vehicles that had been procured from Czechoslovakia, today 7,000 Tatra vehicles feature on the army's inventory. Successive army chiefs cleared the purchase of repeated tranches of Tatra vehicles. But, in 2010, General V K Singh turned down a fresh procurement request, ordering instead a multi-vendor procurement of a suitable Indian vehicle.
Singh's objections to the Tatra were threefold, explains a top-ranking army officer who plays a key role in equipment procurement. First, BEML had not indigenised production adequately. Almost 70 per cent of the Tatra was sourced from abroad. Second, despite BEML's so-called 'manufacture' of the Tatra for decades, it remained a left-hand-drive vehicle that was unsuitable for Indian conditions. Third, Gen Singh believed BEML was making windfall profits on the Tatra, selling it to the army for about a crore rupees a vehicle, when it could be bought in Eastern Europe for half that cost.
"The Tatra was horrendously expensive. BEML was focused on maximising profits without even substantial indigenisation," says a top procurement official of that time.
BEML chairman V R S Natarajan rejects charges of insufficient indigenisation and points out the purchase contract with the Tatra did not include transfer of technology (ToT). "We didn't buy the technology for the Tatra. They are helping us indigenise without India paying for it"¦ Despite that, the Tatra today is 60 per cent indigenous," says Natarajan.
But top army officials, who are seeking a replacement for the Tatra, call that laughable. "In 25 years, BEML has not even bothered to modify it into a right-hand-drive vehicle; what indigenisation have they done?" asks a senior serving general.
Natarajan has an answer. "If the army wants to make it right-handed, we can do it. But they are not asking for that"¦ The army is used to (the Tatra); they are driving it; and we are supplying it," says the BEML chief.
Asked to confirm how much of the Tatra is built in India, the MoD's joint secretary (land systems), Rashmi Verma, puts the figure at 45 per cent. But Natarajan dismissed her assessment. "If you ask her a specific question, she will ask information from me and then tell you. On her own, she might not know. But I know 100 per cent."
With General Singh exasperated at BEML, he pushed for an alternative. Army records show the MoD cleared the procurement in mid-2010; by end-2010, a tender was floated for an Indian replacement for the Tatra. Four companies — Tata Motors; Ashok Leyland; Ural (India) Ltd; and BEML — fielded their high-mobility vehicles in trials, conducted through 2011. A winner is likely to be declared this year, say army sources.
For BEML, this signals the end of a series of lucrative repeat orders for the Tatra. All these years, the Tatra was not governed by the strict safeguards the Defence Procurement Procedure imposes on fresh procurements. The safeguards do not govern repeat orders for an "in service" vehicle. For such orders, the Master General of Ordnance, a lieutenant general in army headquarters, New Delhi, has the power to initiate a fresh purchase without clearance from the MoD.
But there still existed the possibility of one last lucrative order for the Tatra, before other domestic alternatives ended its long-running monopoly. Sources close to Gen Singh allege that this was the proposition for which he was offered Rs 14 crore.
TATRA KNOW-HOW
Entered Indian Army service : 1983-84
Usage : Tank transporters, carriers for assault bridging, cross-country logistics vehicles, command posts, signals communications nodes
Country of origin : Czechoslovakia; Currently built in both Czech Republic and Slovakia
Ownership : Vectra Global, owned by NRI Ravi Rishi
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel configuration : 8 x 8
Engine power : 347 horsepower
Climbing gradient : 60 per cent
Weight (empty) : 15 tonnes
Maximum road speed : 80 kmph
Trench crossing : 2 metres wide
Maximum load : 15 tonnes
Range : 650 km
Water fording : 1.4 m depth
by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 28th Mar 12
The electrifying revelation by Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore — apparently to sanction the purchase of 600 Kolos Tatra high-mobility vehicles — has highlighted a crucial question: How has the defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), been supplying the army with what it considers a largely imported vehicle at an exorbitant price for a quarter of a century?
Since 1987, when BEML supplied the army with the first Tatra high-mobility vehicles that had been procured from Czechoslovakia, today 7,000 Tatra vehicles feature on the army's inventory. Successive army chiefs cleared the purchase of repeated tranches of Tatra vehicles. But, in 2010, General V K Singh turned down a fresh procurement request, ordering instead a multi-vendor procurement of a suitable Indian vehicle.
Singh's objections to the Tatra were threefold, explains a top-ranking army officer who plays a key role in equipment procurement. First, BEML had not indigenised production adequately. Almost 70 per cent of the Tatra was sourced from abroad. Second, despite BEML's so-called 'manufacture' of the Tatra for decades, it remained a left-hand-drive vehicle that was unsuitable for Indian conditions. Third, Gen Singh believed BEML was making windfall profits on the Tatra, selling it to the army for about a crore rupees a vehicle, when it could be bought in Eastern Europe for half that cost.
"The Tatra was horrendously expensive. BEML was focused on maximising profits without even substantial indigenisation," says a top procurement official of that time.
BEML chairman V R S Natarajan rejects charges of insufficient indigenisation and points out the purchase contract with the Tatra did not include transfer of technology (ToT). "We didn't buy the technology for the Tatra. They are helping us indigenise without India paying for it"¦ Despite that, the Tatra today is 60 per cent indigenous," says Natarajan.
But top army officials, who are seeking a replacement for the Tatra, call that laughable. "In 25 years, BEML has not even bothered to modify it into a right-hand-drive vehicle; what indigenisation have they done?" asks a senior serving general.
Natarajan has an answer. "If the army wants to make it right-handed, we can do it. But they are not asking for that"¦ The army is used to (the Tatra); they are driving it; and we are supplying it," says the BEML chief.
Asked to confirm how much of the Tatra is built in India, the MoD's joint secretary (land systems), Rashmi Verma, puts the figure at 45 per cent. But Natarajan dismissed her assessment. "If you ask her a specific question, she will ask information from me and then tell you. On her own, she might not know. But I know 100 per cent."
With General Singh exasperated at BEML, he pushed for an alternative. Army records show the MoD cleared the procurement in mid-2010; by end-2010, a tender was floated for an Indian replacement for the Tatra. Four companies — Tata Motors; Ashok Leyland; Ural (India) Ltd; and BEML — fielded their high-mobility vehicles in trials, conducted through 2011. A winner is likely to be declared this year, say army sources.
For BEML, this signals the end of a series of lucrative repeat orders for the Tatra. All these years, the Tatra was not governed by the strict safeguards the Defence Procurement Procedure imposes on fresh procurements. The safeguards do not govern repeat orders for an "in service" vehicle. For such orders, the Master General of Ordnance, a lieutenant general in army headquarters, New Delhi, has the power to initiate a fresh purchase without clearance from the MoD.
But there still existed the possibility of one last lucrative order for the Tatra, before other domestic alternatives ended its long-running monopoly. Sources close to Gen Singh allege that this was the proposition for which he was offered Rs 14 crore.
TATRA KNOW-HOW
Entered Indian Army service : 1983-84
Usage : Tank transporters, carriers for assault bridging, cross-country logistics vehicles, command posts, signals communications nodes
Country of origin : Czechoslovakia; Currently built in both Czech Republic and Slovakia
Ownership : Vectra Global, owned by NRI Ravi Rishi
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel configuration : 8 x 8
Engine power : 347 horsepower
Climbing gradient : 60 per cent
Weight (empty) : 15 tonnes
Maximum road speed : 80 kmph
Trench crossing : 2 metres wide
Maximum load : 15 tonnes
Range : 650 km
Water fording : 1.4 m depth
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Bribe offer taped, more proof soon, warn Army chief's friends
TNN | Mar 28, 2012, 01.07AM IST
NEW DELHI: Supporters of Army chief General V K Singh are claiming that not only does a tape exist of his meeting with Lt Gen Tejinder Singh (retd), but more evidence would emerge in the coming days.
According to Gen Singh's friends, there is a tape of the conversation between Gen Singh and Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, retired chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency, where the latter offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for facilitating purchase of 600 substandard Tatra trucks by the Army.
CBI sources said that an anonymous person sent the tape of the purported conversation between the Army chief and retired Lt General Singh, the alleged bribe-giver.
Sources also said that during the course of conversation the pitch of voice purportedly belonging to General Singh suddenly rises, but stressed that the contents have not been verified.
"Whatever he has spoken is 100% true," said Col R S N Singh, a sympathizer of the Army chief.
The tape contains the conversation that ends with Gen Singh shouting at the other person and asking him to leave his office. During the conversation, the other person also told Gen Singh that his predecessors too were on the take.
"You can't actually put down a man who has nothing to hide," Col Singh said of the Army chief. The tape was "only the tip of the iceberg", and more evidence would emerge soon, he said. "General V K Singh doesn't talk in thin air. He has a lot of capacity to strike back at an opportune time," he added.
Col Singh also hinted that there may be further proof, including documents, with the Army chief, to buttress his claim about the bribe offer.
Bribe offer taped, more proof soon, warn Army chief's friends - The Times of India
TNN | Mar 28, 2012, 01.07AM IST
NEW DELHI: Supporters of Army chief General V K Singh are claiming that not only does a tape exist of his meeting with Lt Gen Tejinder Singh (retd), but more evidence would emerge in the coming days.
According to Gen Singh's friends, there is a tape of the conversation between Gen Singh and Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, retired chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency, where the latter offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for facilitating purchase of 600 substandard Tatra trucks by the Army.
CBI sources said that an anonymous person sent the tape of the purported conversation between the Army chief and retired Lt General Singh, the alleged bribe-giver.
Sources also said that during the course of conversation the pitch of voice purportedly belonging to General Singh suddenly rises, but stressed that the contents have not been verified.
"Whatever he has spoken is 100% true," said Col R S N Singh, a sympathizer of the Army chief.
The tape contains the conversation that ends with Gen Singh shouting at the other person and asking him to leave his office. During the conversation, the other person also told Gen Singh that his predecessors too were on the take.
"You can't actually put down a man who has nothing to hide," Col Singh said of the Army chief. The tape was "only the tip of the iceberg", and more evidence would emerge soon, he said. "General V K Singh doesn't talk in thin air. He has a lot of capacity to strike back at an opportune time," he added.
Col Singh also hinted that there may be further proof, including documents, with the Army chief, to buttress his claim about the bribe offer.
Bribe offer taped, more proof soon, warn Army chief's friends - The Times of India
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Bribe row puts spotlight on BEML's Tatra
The electrifying revelation by Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore — apparently to sanction the purchase of 600 Kolos Tatra high-mobility vehicles — has highlighted a crucial question: How has the defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), been supplying the army with what it considers a largely imported vehicle at an exorbitant price for a quarter of a century?
Since 1987, when BEML supplied the army with the first Tatra high-mobility vehicles that had been procured from Czechoslovakia, today 7,000 Tatra vehicles feature on the army's inventory. Successive army chiefs cleared the purchase of repeated tranches of Tatra vehicles. But, in 2010, General V K Singh turned down a fresh procurement request, ordering instead a multi-vendor procurement of a suitable Indian vehicle.
Singh's objections to the Tatra were threefold, explains a top-ranking army officer who plays a key role in equipment procurement. First, BEML had not indigenised production adequately. Almost 70 per cent of the Tatra was sourced from abroad. Second, despite BEML's so-called 'manufacture' of the Tatra for decades, it remained a left-hand-drive vehicle that was unsuitable for Indian conditions. Third, Gen Singh believed BEML was making windfall profits on the Tatra, selling it to the army for about a crore rupees a vehicle, when it could be bought in Eastern Europe for half that cost.
"The Tatra was horrendously expensive. BEML was focused on maximising profits without even substantial indigenisation," says a top procurement official of that time.
BEML chairman V R S Natarajan rejects charges of insufficient indigenisation and points out the purchase contract with the Tatra did not include transfer of technology (ToT). "We didn't buy the technology for the Tatra. They are helping us indigenise without India paying for it"¦ Despite that, the Tatra today is 60 per cent indigenous," says Natarajan.
But top army officials, who are seeking a replacement for the Tatra, call that laughable. "In 25 years, BEML has not even bothered to modify it into a right-hand-drive vehicle; what indigenisation have they done?" asks a senior serving general.
Natarajan has an answer. "If the army wants to make it right-handed, we can do it. But they are not asking for that"¦ The army is used to (the Tatra); they are driving it; and we are supplying it," says the BEML chief.
Asked to confirm how much of the Tatra is built in India, the MoD's joint secretary (land systems), Rashmi Verma, puts the figure at 45 per cent. But Natarajan dismissed her assessment. "If you ask her a specific question, she will ask information from me and then tell you. On her own, she might not know. But I know 100 per cent."
With General Singh exasperated at BEML, he pushed for an alternative. Army records show the MoD cleared the procurement in mid-2010; by end-2010, a tender was floated for an Indian replacement for the Tatra. Four companies — Tata Motors; Ashok Leyland; Ural (India) Ltd; and BEML — fielded their high-mobility vehicles in trials, conducted through 2011. A winner is likely to be declared this year, say army sources.
For BEML, this signals the end of a series of lucrative repeat orders for the Tatra. All these years, the Tatra was not governed by the strict safeguards the Defence Procurement Procedure imposes on fresh procurements. The safeguards do not govern repeat orders for an "in service" vehicle. For such orders, the Master General of Ordnance, a lieutenant general in army headquarters, New Delhi, has the power to initiate a fresh purchase without clearance from the MoD.
But there still existed the possibility of one last lucrative order for the Tatra, before other domestic alternatives ended its long-running monopoly. Sources close to Gen Singh allege that this was the proposition for which he was offered Rs 14 crore.
TATRA KNOW-HOW
Entered Indian Army service : 1983-84
Usage : Tank transporters, carriers for assault bridging, cross-country logistics vehicles, command posts, signals communications nodes
Country of origin : Czechoslovakia; Currently built in both Czech Republic and Slovakia
Ownership : Vectra Global, owned by NRI Ravi Rishi
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel configuration : 8 x 8
Engine power : 347 horsepower
Climbing gradient : 60 per cent
Weight (empty) : 15 tonnes
Maximum road speed : 80 kmph
Trench crossing : 2 metres wide
Maximum load : 15 tonnes
Range : 650 km
Water fording : 1.4 m depth
The electrifying revelation by Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore — apparently to sanction the purchase of 600 Kolos Tatra high-mobility vehicles — has highlighted a crucial question: How has the defence public sector undertaking, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), been supplying the army with what it considers a largely imported vehicle at an exorbitant price for a quarter of a century?
Since 1987, when BEML supplied the army with the first Tatra high-mobility vehicles that had been procured from Czechoslovakia, today 7,000 Tatra vehicles feature on the army's inventory. Successive army chiefs cleared the purchase of repeated tranches of Tatra vehicles. But, in 2010, General V K Singh turned down a fresh procurement request, ordering instead a multi-vendor procurement of a suitable Indian vehicle.
Singh's objections to the Tatra were threefold, explains a top-ranking army officer who plays a key role in equipment procurement. First, BEML had not indigenised production adequately. Almost 70 per cent of the Tatra was sourced from abroad. Second, despite BEML's so-called 'manufacture' of the Tatra for decades, it remained a left-hand-drive vehicle that was unsuitable for Indian conditions. Third, Gen Singh believed BEML was making windfall profits on the Tatra, selling it to the army for about a crore rupees a vehicle, when it could be bought in Eastern Europe for half that cost.
"The Tatra was horrendously expensive. BEML was focused on maximising profits without even substantial indigenisation," says a top procurement official of that time.
BEML chairman V R S Natarajan rejects charges of insufficient indigenisation and points out the purchase contract with the Tatra did not include transfer of technology (ToT). "We didn't buy the technology for the Tatra. They are helping us indigenise without India paying for it"¦ Despite that, the Tatra today is 60 per cent indigenous," says Natarajan.
But top army officials, who are seeking a replacement for the Tatra, call that laughable. "In 25 years, BEML has not even bothered to modify it into a right-hand-drive vehicle; what indigenisation have they done?" asks a senior serving general.
Natarajan has an answer. "If the army wants to make it right-handed, we can do it. But they are not asking for that"¦ The army is used to (the Tatra); they are driving it; and we are supplying it," says the BEML chief.
Asked to confirm how much of the Tatra is built in India, the MoD's joint secretary (land systems), Rashmi Verma, puts the figure at 45 per cent. But Natarajan dismissed her assessment. "If you ask her a specific question, she will ask information from me and then tell you. On her own, she might not know. But I know 100 per cent."
With General Singh exasperated at BEML, he pushed for an alternative. Army records show the MoD cleared the procurement in mid-2010; by end-2010, a tender was floated for an Indian replacement for the Tatra. Four companies — Tata Motors; Ashok Leyland; Ural (India) Ltd; and BEML — fielded their high-mobility vehicles in trials, conducted through 2011. A winner is likely to be declared this year, say army sources.
For BEML, this signals the end of a series of lucrative repeat orders for the Tatra. All these years, the Tatra was not governed by the strict safeguards the Defence Procurement Procedure imposes on fresh procurements. The safeguards do not govern repeat orders for an "in service" vehicle. For such orders, the Master General of Ordnance, a lieutenant general in army headquarters, New Delhi, has the power to initiate a fresh purchase without clearance from the MoD.
But there still existed the possibility of one last lucrative order for the Tatra, before other domestic alternatives ended its long-running monopoly. Sources close to Gen Singh allege that this was the proposition for which he was offered Rs 14 crore.
TATRA KNOW-HOW
Entered Indian Army service : 1983-84
Usage : Tank transporters, carriers for assault bridging, cross-country logistics vehicles, command posts, signals communications nodes
Country of origin : Czechoslovakia; Currently built in both Czech Republic and Slovakia
Ownership : Vectra Global, owned by NRI Ravi Rishi
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel configuration : 8 x 8
Engine power : 347 horsepower
Climbing gradient : 60 per cent
Weight (empty) : 15 tonnes
Maximum road speed : 80 kmph
Trench crossing : 2 metres wide
Maximum load : 15 tonnes
Range : 650 km
Water fording : 1.4 m depth
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2011
- Messages
- 3,282
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- 316
Think this Natarajan, from his name looks like a Tamilian & from the response he replied is a very big fraud.. Most of the Defence related companies & GOI institutions have South Indians expecially Tamilians (being DMK an ally of GOI) as chairmans and scientists.
Why all the big scams inlcude Tamils (no offense to Tamilians)?..
WTF..................Why are we importing this tatra's from CZECH from an NRI, when we have indian trucks?..
We can't even make a good truck for army..?. Did our indian trucks are incapable for defence?..
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CBI meets Army Chief over alleged bribe offer, detailed response on March 30: Sources
Reported by Sunetra Choudhury, Sandeep Phukan, Updated: March 27, 2012 23:12 IST
New Delhi: Dramatic new twists emerged today in the case of the 14-crore bribe that was offered to the Army chief General VK Singh in 2010. Defence Minister AK Antony told Parliament that the Army chief had refused to take action after being offered the kickback in his own office by a retired defence officer. "I was shocked. I told him to take action, but he said 'I refuse to pursue the matter'," Mr Antony said.
It now turns out that the offer of the bribe was also recorded on tape, though it's not yet clear who organised the taping. Sources say that the tape has been delivered to the CBI, which was commissioned yesterday to investigate the matter. Sources have told NDTV that CBI officers met General Singh yesterday for his initial response on the matter. He is expected to give a detailed response on March 30, after he returns from his trip abroad.
Press Trust of India cites sources in the CBI to claim that the Army Chief can be heard shouting on the tape. But the authenticity of the tapes has yet to be tested.
Mr Antony corroborated what the Army chief had said yesterday - that after the money was offered to him, the General reported the incident to the minister. But Mr Antony, unlike the General, named the alleged lobbyist. The minister said the Army chief had told him that retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh had offered him the kickback. Tejinder Singh has sued the Army chief for defamation today. He also told NDTV that though he did meet with General Singh in September 2010, their conversation was limited to the chances of the retired officer being hired as the head of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).
A CBI inquiry was ordered yesterday by the Defence Minister after General Singh went public with media interviews about the bribe that was offered to him. The CBI investigation will swing into operation after General Singh provides a written account of what happened. Explaining why he did not commission an inquiry earlier, Mr Antony told Parliament that he had not received a written complaint from the chief. General Singh's own defence has been equally unconvincing. He said yesterday, "It was not like he was giving me bribe in my hand. This was an indirect method and that is why no arrest was made."
Mr Antony's remarks - which unsubtly push the ball back into the chief's court provide the latest expression to the strained relationship between the Defence Ministry and the Army chief.
"I will go to any extent to investigate the Army chief's allegations... all my life, I have fought against corruption" said Mr Antony, adding that he follows up even on anonymous letters that allege graft. He said he is ready to cancel any contract tainted by corruption. The BJP's Arun Jaitley responded in Parliament by saying that his party is willing to work with the government to "cleanse corruption" but he also said that it is the government's job to distinguish between frivolous and substantive charges. "There is eventually civilian control of armed forces...issues that should be settled in closed doors are becoming a public debate which in case of armed forces should be avoided," said Mr Jaitley.
That comment both underscored and reprimanded the public unraveling of the relationship between the Army chief and the Defence Ministry over the last year.
General Singh wanted Army records amended to reflect that he was born in 1951 and not 1950, which is his year of birth according to the government. The issue could have affected when he would have to retire. General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court but he withdrew his petition after Supreme Court judges suggested they would not be able to rule in his favour. General Singh will step down at the end of May.
The Army in a press release earlier this month blamed Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh for offering bribes on behalf of Tatra and Vectra, which provides trucks to the Army via a government-owned company called Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).
General Singh said in an interview yesterday that Rs. 14 crore was offered to him to clear the purchase of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks. At the time, he said, 7000 trucks were already in use by the Army. But the Defence Ministry says that the Army has never complained about the performance of Tatra's heavy vehicles.
CBI meets Army Chief over alleged bribe offer, detailed response on March 30: Sources
Reported by Sunetra Choudhury, Sandeep Phukan, Updated: March 27, 2012 23:12 IST
New Delhi: Dramatic new twists emerged today in the case of the 14-crore bribe that was offered to the Army chief General VK Singh in 2010. Defence Minister AK Antony told Parliament that the Army chief had refused to take action after being offered the kickback in his own office by a retired defence officer. "I was shocked. I told him to take action, but he said 'I refuse to pursue the matter'," Mr Antony said.
It now turns out that the offer of the bribe was also recorded on tape, though it's not yet clear who organised the taping. Sources say that the tape has been delivered to the CBI, which was commissioned yesterday to investigate the matter. Sources have told NDTV that CBI officers met General Singh yesterday for his initial response on the matter. He is expected to give a detailed response on March 30, after he returns from his trip abroad.
Press Trust of India cites sources in the CBI to claim that the Army Chief can be heard shouting on the tape. But the authenticity of the tapes has yet to be tested.
Mr Antony corroborated what the Army chief had said yesterday - that after the money was offered to him, the General reported the incident to the minister. But Mr Antony, unlike the General, named the alleged lobbyist. The minister said the Army chief had told him that retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh had offered him the kickback. Tejinder Singh has sued the Army chief for defamation today. He also told NDTV that though he did meet with General Singh in September 2010, their conversation was limited to the chances of the retired officer being hired as the head of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).
A CBI inquiry was ordered yesterday by the Defence Minister after General Singh went public with media interviews about the bribe that was offered to him. The CBI investigation will swing into operation after General Singh provides a written account of what happened. Explaining why he did not commission an inquiry earlier, Mr Antony told Parliament that he had not received a written complaint from the chief. General Singh's own defence has been equally unconvincing. He said yesterday, "It was not like he was giving me bribe in my hand. This was an indirect method and that is why no arrest was made."
Mr Antony's remarks - which unsubtly push the ball back into the chief's court provide the latest expression to the strained relationship between the Defence Ministry and the Army chief.
"I will go to any extent to investigate the Army chief's allegations... all my life, I have fought against corruption" said Mr Antony, adding that he follows up even on anonymous letters that allege graft. He said he is ready to cancel any contract tainted by corruption. The BJP's Arun Jaitley responded in Parliament by saying that his party is willing to work with the government to "cleanse corruption" but he also said that it is the government's job to distinguish between frivolous and substantive charges. "There is eventually civilian control of armed forces...issues that should be settled in closed doors are becoming a public debate which in case of armed forces should be avoided," said Mr Jaitley.
That comment both underscored and reprimanded the public unraveling of the relationship between the Army chief and the Defence Ministry over the last year.
General Singh wanted Army records amended to reflect that he was born in 1951 and not 1950, which is his year of birth according to the government. The issue could have affected when he would have to retire. General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court but he withdrew his petition after Supreme Court judges suggested they would not be able to rule in his favour. General Singh will step down at the end of May.
The Army in a press release earlier this month blamed Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh for offering bribes on behalf of Tatra and Vectra, which provides trucks to the Army via a government-owned company called Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).
General Singh said in an interview yesterday that Rs. 14 crore was offered to him to clear the purchase of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks. At the time, he said, 7000 trucks were already in use by the Army. But the Defence Ministry says that the Army has never complained about the performance of Tatra's heavy vehicles.
CBI meets Army Chief over alleged bribe offer, detailed response on March 30: Sources
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Army chief bribe row and the shady world of arms deals
by FP Editors 58 mins ago
The Army chief , Gen VK Singh's, sensational allegation that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe by a retired Army officer-turned-lobbyist (subsequently identified as Lt Gen Tejinder Singh) to approve the purchase of Army trucks has refocussed attention on the shadowy world of defence procurements.
It is an intricate web that involves, by some accounts, some Indian politicians, although there is as yet no confirmation of the role that they played.
Gen VK Singh alleged that Tatra trucks, which have been on Army 'duty' for close to two decades – it saw action during the Kargil war – were "substandard" and overpriced. The Tatra deal has been under a cloud for a long while now, but until Gen VK Singh blew the whistle, no serious effort had been made to get to the bottom of it.
The first agreement for procuring Tatra trucks was signed in 1986 with Omnipol Foreign Trade Corporation of the Czechoslovakia. But about the time that the Soviet empire was collapsing in the early 1990s, and the satellite states (including Czechoslovakia) were spinning out of orbit, Ravi Rishi, an astute NRI businessman, moved in to pick up Tatra on the cheap, through his London-based consortium Vectra.
Tatra's fortunes in India soared since then; in 1992, the Indian public sector undertaking BEML starts buying the trucks from Tatra Sipox UK.
Tatra Sipox UK was, according to documents with CNN-IBN, a London-based trading company and not the original manufacturer. Procuring from Tatra Spiox broke one of the cardinal rules of defence procurement – that all procurement should be sourced directly from the manufacturer, not a third party.
Curiously, Tatra Sipox's balance sheets of those years show it had a working capital of just 30,000 pounds. And the firm was registered as providing "spiritual, religious and social services."
Listed among the shareholders of Tata Sipox UK was Joseph Majeski, a Slovakian national who at one time faced a jail term for misappropriation of funds.
In 2003, more than a decade after the first deal, BEML and Tatra Sipox (UK) sought to increase the scope of the relationship. But at that point, they faced the first hurdle, when the Equipment Branch of the Army raised objections to the deal.
CNN-IBN has in its possession a copy of a letter in which probing questions were asked of the deal, in particular: Who was the original manufacturer of the truck? What was the source of procurement? What was the price at which it was being procured? And what was the role of Tatra Sipox UK?
But within two months, the letter was treated as cancelled, for reasons that are not clear.
Subsequently, the holding pattern of the companies changed, after which BEML signed a joint venture with Vectra, of which Ravi Rishi was the major shareholder.
Under the terms of the 2003 agreement, the Chief of Army Staff has to sign on the procurement deal for the trucks every year. The last time the deal was signed was in February 2010, by Genenral (Retired) Deepak Kapoor.
But within weeks of taking over as Army chief, Gen VK Singh applied the brakes on a pre-approved order for the supply of 788 Tatra trucks on the grounds that they had not performed optimally and were horribly overpriced. He was inclined to consider a rival manufacturer, the Kolkata-based Ural India Ltd, which offered to sell the all-terrain vehicles for Rs 40 lakh each (against the Rs 1 crore price tag that the Tatra trucks came with). Ural India is a joint venture between URALAZ, the Soviet heavy-duty automobile company established at the height of the Second World War, and Motijug Agencies owned by JK Saraf.
It may have been the prospect of being shut out of the lucrative Indian market that prompted the desperate offer of a bribe to Gen VK Singh.
Once earlier, the Vectra Group, which pimped for the Eurocopter in India, had had the mortifying experience of being similarly shut out. In 2007, Defence Minister 2007 pointedly cancelled a contract for the purchase of 197 aircraft for the Army after revelations that a senior Army officer had links to a Vectra group company.
Vectra Group is believed to be keen to sell all-terrain vehicles and helicopters to the Home Ministry, which is low on such equipment for the operations against Maoists in central India.
Writing in The Sunday Guardian, Madhav Nalapat claims, citing unidentified sources, that Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, who stands accused of fronting for Tatra and offering Gen VK Singh a bribe, is connected to at least one upcoming politician. Tejinder Singh, he writes, "operates in tandem" with a retired major and his son, "both of whom are well-known" to Home Minister P Chidambaram's son Karthi Chidambaram.
Subramanian Swamy too has pointed to connections between the "triumvirate" of Tejinder Singh, the retired Major, and Karthi Chidambaram.
None of this has been established beyond reasonable doubt, but it's fair to say that Gen VK Singh's sensational claim has literally thrown
http://www.firstpost.com/india/army-chief-bribe-row-and-the-shady-world-of-arms-deals-257626.html
Chidambaram again...... GOD... This is massive Corruption!!
by FP Editors 58 mins ago
The Army chief , Gen VK Singh's, sensational allegation that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe by a retired Army officer-turned-lobbyist (subsequently identified as Lt Gen Tejinder Singh) to approve the purchase of Army trucks has refocussed attention on the shadowy world of defence procurements.
It is an intricate web that involves, by some accounts, some Indian politicians, although there is as yet no confirmation of the role that they played.
Gen VK Singh alleged that Tatra trucks, which have been on Army 'duty' for close to two decades – it saw action during the Kargil war – were "substandard" and overpriced. The Tatra deal has been under a cloud for a long while now, but until Gen VK Singh blew the whistle, no serious effort had been made to get to the bottom of it.
The first agreement for procuring Tatra trucks was signed in 1986 with Omnipol Foreign Trade Corporation of the Czechoslovakia. But about the time that the Soviet empire was collapsing in the early 1990s, and the satellite states (including Czechoslovakia) were spinning out of orbit, Ravi Rishi, an astute NRI businessman, moved in to pick up Tatra on the cheap, through his London-based consortium Vectra.
Tatra's fortunes in India soared since then; in 1992, the Indian public sector undertaking BEML starts buying the trucks from Tatra Sipox UK.
Tatra Sipox UK was, according to documents with CNN-IBN, a London-based trading company and not the original manufacturer. Procuring from Tatra Spiox broke one of the cardinal rules of defence procurement – that all procurement should be sourced directly from the manufacturer, not a third party.
Curiously, Tatra Sipox's balance sheets of those years show it had a working capital of just 30,000 pounds. And the firm was registered as providing "spiritual, religious and social services."
Listed among the shareholders of Tata Sipox UK was Joseph Majeski, a Slovakian national who at one time faced a jail term for misappropriation of funds.
In 2003, more than a decade after the first deal, BEML and Tatra Sipox (UK) sought to increase the scope of the relationship. But at that point, they faced the first hurdle, when the Equipment Branch of the Army raised objections to the deal.
CNN-IBN has in its possession a copy of a letter in which probing questions were asked of the deal, in particular: Who was the original manufacturer of the truck? What was the source of procurement? What was the price at which it was being procured? And what was the role of Tatra Sipox UK?
But within two months, the letter was treated as cancelled, for reasons that are not clear.
Subsequently, the holding pattern of the companies changed, after which BEML signed a joint venture with Vectra, of which Ravi Rishi was the major shareholder.
Under the terms of the 2003 agreement, the Chief of Army Staff has to sign on the procurement deal for the trucks every year. The last time the deal was signed was in February 2010, by Genenral (Retired) Deepak Kapoor.
But within weeks of taking over as Army chief, Gen VK Singh applied the brakes on a pre-approved order for the supply of 788 Tatra trucks on the grounds that they had not performed optimally and were horribly overpriced. He was inclined to consider a rival manufacturer, the Kolkata-based Ural India Ltd, which offered to sell the all-terrain vehicles for Rs 40 lakh each (against the Rs 1 crore price tag that the Tatra trucks came with). Ural India is a joint venture between URALAZ, the Soviet heavy-duty automobile company established at the height of the Second World War, and Motijug Agencies owned by JK Saraf.
It may have been the prospect of being shut out of the lucrative Indian market that prompted the desperate offer of a bribe to Gen VK Singh.
Once earlier, the Vectra Group, which pimped for the Eurocopter in India, had had the mortifying experience of being similarly shut out. In 2007, Defence Minister 2007 pointedly cancelled a contract for the purchase of 197 aircraft for the Army after revelations that a senior Army officer had links to a Vectra group company.
Vectra Group is believed to be keen to sell all-terrain vehicles and helicopters to the Home Ministry, which is low on such equipment for the operations against Maoists in central India.
Writing in The Sunday Guardian, Madhav Nalapat claims, citing unidentified sources, that Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, who stands accused of fronting for Tatra and offering Gen VK Singh a bribe, is connected to at least one upcoming politician. Tejinder Singh, he writes, "operates in tandem" with a retired major and his son, "both of whom are well-known" to Home Minister P Chidambaram's son Karthi Chidambaram.
Subramanian Swamy too has pointed to connections between the "triumvirate" of Tejinder Singh, the retired Major, and Karthi Chidambaram.
None of this has been established beyond reasonable doubt, but it's fair to say that Gen VK Singh's sensational claim has literally thrown
http://www.firstpost.com/india/army-chief-bribe-row-and-the-shady-world-of-arms-deals-257626.html
Chidambaram again...... GOD... This is massive Corruption!!
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Army Chief didn't complain, was powerless to act: Antony
by FP Staff Mar 27, 2012
Defence Minister AK Antony said he had been informed about the Army Chief being offered a bribe last year, but despite asking him to, General VK Singh had said he did not want to pursue the matter further and never sent a formal complaint.
"More than a year ago, exact date they (the army) will know. During one of the service chief meetings the Army Chief told me about this meeting. Singh told me that one general, I think Tejinder Singh, offered him a bribe," Antony told the Rajya Sabha today.
"I was shocked. I said take action. But he (General VK Singh) told me I don't want to pursue it," he said, adding that the General has not sent a written complaint till date.
The Minister said he was powerless to act since he had not received a formal complaint from the armed forces chief.
"When the (verbal) complaint came I should have acted, but as a Minister I cannot ask. Every day so many people are coming to me and complaining," Antony told the Rajya Sabha causing uproar among the Opposition over his initial inaction.
As per procedure, if a complaint was sent it would have been forwarded to the Ministry of Defence, who would send it on to the concerned armed force to conduct a probe and they would file a report, the Defence Minister said.
"But here I did not get a written complaint at any stage," Antony said.
However, after reading the news reports yesterday, he said that he had asked the defence ministry to order a probe into the matter which was now being carried out by the CBI.
The Defence Minister emphasised that he had tried to ensure complete transparency in the procurement process for the armed forces and had told officials that he was prepared to cancel procurements if allegations of corruption arose.
"I acted on my judgement. If I am wrong punish me, but I have done my best," he told the Rajya Sabha.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the government had to take take pro-active measures to ensure an end to corruption in the armed forces and that the Defence Minister should have acted earlier
"It is for the Defence Minister to make the difference between a substantive charge or a frivolous charge," he said, adding that the procurement policies for the defence forces should not be affected due to allegations of corruption.
Antony clarified that the procurement procedures had not been affected.
The Army Chief had alleged in an interview that he had been offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for approving a contract but had not accepted it. Singh said in an interview that he did not realise that he was being offered a bribe and had informed the Defence Minister of the incident.
Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh had been accused of offering a bribe to General VK Singh to support the approval of a contract to obtain all-weather trucks for the army. However, the former army official has denied the charges and said that he would initiate legal action against those who had accused him.
Army Chief didn't complain, was powerless to act: Antony | Firstpost
by FP Staff Mar 27, 2012
Defence Minister AK Antony said he had been informed about the Army Chief being offered a bribe last year, but despite asking him to, General VK Singh had said he did not want to pursue the matter further and never sent a formal complaint.
"More than a year ago, exact date they (the army) will know. During one of the service chief meetings the Army Chief told me about this meeting. Singh told me that one general, I think Tejinder Singh, offered him a bribe," Antony told the Rajya Sabha today.
"I was shocked. I said take action. But he (General VK Singh) told me I don't want to pursue it," he said, adding that the General has not sent a written complaint till date.
The Minister said he was powerless to act since he had not received a formal complaint from the armed forces chief.
"When the (verbal) complaint came I should have acted, but as a Minister I cannot ask. Every day so many people are coming to me and complaining," Antony told the Rajya Sabha causing uproar among the Opposition over his initial inaction.
As per procedure, if a complaint was sent it would have been forwarded to the Ministry of Defence, who would send it on to the concerned armed force to conduct a probe and they would file a report, the Defence Minister said.
"But here I did not get a written complaint at any stage," Antony said.
However, after reading the news reports yesterday, he said that he had asked the defence ministry to order a probe into the matter which was now being carried out by the CBI.
The Defence Minister emphasised that he had tried to ensure complete transparency in the procurement process for the armed forces and had told officials that he was prepared to cancel procurements if allegations of corruption arose.
"I acted on my judgement. If I am wrong punish me, but I have done my best," he told the Rajya Sabha.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the government had to take take pro-active measures to ensure an end to corruption in the armed forces and that the Defence Minister should have acted earlier
"It is for the Defence Minister to make the difference between a substantive charge or a frivolous charge," he said, adding that the procurement policies for the defence forces should not be affected due to allegations of corruption.
Antony clarified that the procurement procedures had not been affected.
The Army Chief had alleged in an interview that he had been offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore for approving a contract but had not accepted it. Singh said in an interview that he did not realise that he was being offered a bribe and had informed the Defence Minister of the incident.
Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh had been accused of offering a bribe to General VK Singh to support the approval of a contract to obtain all-weather trucks for the army. However, the former army official has denied the charges and said that he would initiate legal action against those who had accused him.
Army Chief didn't complain, was powerless to act: Antony | Firstpost
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Former RAW officer claims tape of Army Chief bribery scandal exists
by FP Staff Mar 27, 2012
A former army official has claimed a conversation has been taped between Army Chief VK Singh and an unidentified person, in which the head of the armed forces is asked to take a bribe but refuses to do so.
"I'm told that in this tape, there is that conversation which the General talks about. The gentleman concerned, is heard offering a bribe and telling the Chief that chiefs before you have taken bribes and chiefs after you will take bribes. So why don't you fall in the line," Colonel (retired) RSN Singh told CNN-IBN.
While not disclosing where the tape was recorded and who had recorded it, Singh said the Army Chief can be heard in the tape telling the individual to leave his office.
"And then I'm told that General VK Singh can be heard shouting on this fellow that you get out of my office before I do something else to you," Singh said.
RSN Singh had served in the Military Intelligence following which he also served with the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
CNN-IBN reported that the tape was in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the allegations of bribery.
General VK Singh had said he was offered a bribe by a former army official and said he had informed the Defence Minister about the incident.
Defence Minister AK Antony, who ordered a CBI probe into the incident, told Parliament today, that though he had asked the Army Chief to file a complaint, he had said that he preferred not to pursue the matter further.
Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh, who has been accused by the army of offering bribes in a press release, and was named by the Defence Minister in the Rajya Sabha of offering a bribe, has denied the allegations and filed a case of defamation against officials for tarnishing his reputation.
Former RAW officer claims tape of Army Chief bribery scandal exists | Firstpost
by FP Staff Mar 27, 2012
A former army official has claimed a conversation has been taped between Army Chief VK Singh and an unidentified person, in which the head of the armed forces is asked to take a bribe but refuses to do so.
"I'm told that in this tape, there is that conversation which the General talks about. The gentleman concerned, is heard offering a bribe and telling the Chief that chiefs before you have taken bribes and chiefs after you will take bribes. So why don't you fall in the line," Colonel (retired) RSN Singh told CNN-IBN.
While not disclosing where the tape was recorded and who had recorded it, Singh said the Army Chief can be heard in the tape telling the individual to leave his office.
"And then I'm told that General VK Singh can be heard shouting on this fellow that you get out of my office before I do something else to you," Singh said.
RSN Singh had served in the Military Intelligence following which he also served with the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
CNN-IBN reported that the tape was in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the allegations of bribery.
General VK Singh had said he was offered a bribe by a former army official and said he had informed the Defence Minister about the incident.
Defence Minister AK Antony, who ordered a CBI probe into the incident, told Parliament today, that though he had asked the Army Chief to file a complaint, he had said that he preferred not to pursue the matter further.
Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh, who has been accused by the army of offering bribes in a press release, and was named by the Defence Minister in the Rajya Sabha of offering a bribe, has denied the allegations and filed a case of defamation against officials for tarnishing his reputation.
Former RAW officer claims tape of Army Chief bribery scandal exists | Firstpost
sayareakd
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looks like chief and Raksha Mantri both screwed up big time.......... because of that institution image is dented, both should have immediately asked for inquiry when they were aware about the incident or shouldnt have spoken about it.
