I was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore, says Army Chief

[sesha_maruthi27]

Ray Sir, does this prove that the whole of the congress party as well the cabinet, the Prime Minister and the congress party President all knew this but did not take any action?

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

If that letter was written by Azad on behalf of Sonia Gandhi then what is the news about people wanting to shield Rajiv Gandhi in Tatra case?

Doesn't make sense

Yusf bhai it was because RISHI RAJ was a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi and at the same time was the owner of the VECTRA TRUCKScompany.

 

[Ray]

I wouldn't know, but going on what is being shown on the TV channel.

They showed the letter to Azad.

And all channels showed Hanumantappa's J'Accuse.

 

[Bhadra]

Business Insider - Meet The 23 Richest Politicians In The World Natalia Angelo | Mar. 2, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg
No one goes into politics to get rich, but politicians happen to be some of the wealthiest figures around the globe. German newspaper Die Welt's World's Luxury Guide section recently released a list of the world's richest politicians, and from local officials and members of Congress to foreign ministers and royal heirs, the list includes newcomers and regulars alike.
#4 Sonia GandhiWikimedia Commons/Ricardo Stocker/PR
Net Worth: $2-19 billionResidence: India
Position: President, Indian National Congress (political party)

 

[Bhadra]

Oh link for the above:

Vedic Astrology Journal of Astrology: India's Serial Elections

 

[sob]

Things are getting murkier by the day but some silver lining on the whole issue. The main opposition BJP led by Jaswant Singh and former Retired Army officer, has been quite circumspect on this issue. It has been pompous fools like Laloo whoi have stuck out.

The silver lining - Indian Express

Opposition, especially BJP, has shown remarkable restraint through the army chief controversy

Once it is all over, looking for silver linings in the confrontation between the government and the army chief will prove to be a daunting task. Even the most obstinate optimist might find herself unequal to the challenge of identifying redeeming features in the shadow-boxing between the two sides that spilled into the public sphere all this week, presenting a tableau unprecedented in this country. Yet, look back again at the days gone by, and the restraint exercised by a third player, or set of players, stands out. Parties of the opposition have, by and large, refrained from diving in the troubled waters on this sensitive issue. Admittedly, there have been tell-tale signs of the government's discomfiture being relished by its political opponents. By the end of the week, the BJP even demanded the resignation of defence minister A.K. Antony in Rajya Sabha, while the SP, RJD and JD(U) had asked for the sacking of General V.K. Singh earlier. But those demands have been conspicuously lacking in fire and spectacle. On the whole, the opposition has held back from political fireworks. In the process, it has given the government some crucial room for manoeuvre.

Be it the BJP or the Left, parties have pointed to the absence of statecraft and administrative finesse in the government's approach to the controversy. They have gestured to the unseemliness of an issue that ought to have been settled behind closed doors turning into a public wrangle. They have expressed concern at the evident disconnect and lack of communication between the government and the army and its possible national security implications. And urged the government to sort out the tangles in its defence procurement policy and ensure the country's defence modernisation and preparedness do not suffer. But even as they flagged these serious themes, their interventions were marked by sobriety as was evident in Jaswant Singh's persuasive piece in this newspaper this week.

Whatever be the explanation, there is reason to be grateful for the fact that the opposition decided that discretion is the better part of valour. It has shown more sagacity than the government has.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Now then, the report from Chez Republic says that one year ago a criminal case was filed against the Vectra Trucks Owner Ravi Rishi, saying that he was misusing his post in the BOARD of TATRA TRUCKS and was buying all the knockdown trucks from TATRA TRUCKS CHEZ REPUBLIC and was selling to INDIA at cheaper costs..........

Even as Ravindra Kumar Rishi, owner of the UK-based Vectra Group has refuted irregularities in the Tatra deal, media reports claim that a criminal complaint filed against him in the Czech Republic in the Tatra matter last year. This comes a day after Rishi was summoned for questioning by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the supply of all-terrain Tatra freight vehicles through the state-owned BEML to the Indian Army.

Ravi Rishi at centre of trucks scam?

The CBI has booked Rishi and unnamed officials of Defence Ministry, BEML and Army for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI action today follows Defence Minister A K Antony giving sanction for probe on March 21 into the BEML case much before a Delhi daily carried Army chief's interview claiming that he was offered bribe of Rs 14 crore for clearing the purchase of "sub-standard" trucks.

http://www.timesnow.tv/Ravi-Rishi-at-centre-of-trucks-scam/articleshow/4399219.cms

http://www.timesnow.tv/

 

[KS]

MOD was aware of the Tatra bribery issue as far back as 2009 when their own party member Ghulam Nabi Azad wrote to the Raksha Mantri pointing this out. But our St. Antony for reasons best known to him sat on it.

St. Antony asks COAS for a written complaint to act against Tatra while he is sitting conviniently on a written complaint 3 years old.

DNA exclusive: AK Antony was aware of Tatra scam since 2009 - India - DNA

If that letter was written by Azad on behalf of Sonia Gandhi then what is the news about people wanting to shield Rajiv Gandhi in Tatra case?

Doesn't make sense

Actually...Now it makes perfect sense.

Recall that when CBI inquiry was ordered by Antony in a haste, many senior Congress leaders were upset that it could affect the first family ? Now steps are being taken to shield them from the effect and letters are being written (forged).

In the end , "St". Anthony is being made the sacrificial lamb, a sacrifice that is essential to protect the first family.

Man...I got to give it to them...these Cons have indeed perfected the art of politics and all the essential "shakuni" acts that come with it.

 

[Vishwarupa]

Tatra truck deal: Antony faces jail for neglect of duty?

Tatra truck deal: Antony faces jail for neglect of duty? - The Economic Times

NEW DELHI: Defence minister A K Antony had better come up with a "reasonable excuse" for waking up to corruption allegations in the Tatra deal two years after they had been brought to his notice. For, he would otherwise be liable for a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment up to six months.

The belated registration on Friday of a CBI case related to Tatra indicates Antony violated a legal duty when the bribery allegations had first been brought to his notice in writing by his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2009 and then verbally by Army chief Gen V K Singh in 2010.

His prolonged failure to take action on the issue till it came out in the open flies in the face of the duty cast on "every person" by Section 39 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

When anybody becomes "aware of the commission of or of the intention of any other person to commit" any of the range of offences listed in Section 39 CrPC, he "shall ... forthwith give information" to the nearest magistrate or police officer of "such commission or intention".

The offences which every person is thus required to report immediately include those related to "illegal gratification", which come under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Violations of Section 39 CrPC are punishable under Section 176 of the IPC, which prescribes a maximum six months is jail. It penalizes whoever is "legally bound" to give any information relating to "the commission of an offence or... for the purpose of preventing the commission of an offence".

The only loophole available to Antony is to cite some "reasonable excuse" for his failure to refer the Tatra issue immediately to the CBI. But then, Section 39 CrPC is so stringently worded that it casts a "burden" on the person concerned to prove the reasonableness of his excuse for not performing his duty.

It is doubtful whether Antony can cite the absence of written complaint by Singh as a "reasonable excuse" for not acting promptly. The Army chief, too, is liable under Section 39 CrPC for assuming he can leave it to Antony to initiate the legal process. Since the law requires him to report the matter, he cannot cite his communication to his superior as a "reasonable excuse".

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Now then, the C.B.I. has issued a notice against Ravi Rishi and has stopped him from leaving the country and will be questioned by C.B.I. later today. What happens next is a matter of concern. Will he be dealt with severely or will he be left off like Quatrochi in the BOFORS case...........

 

[Mad Indian]

Tatra truck deals since 1997 under CBI lens

The CBI will probe the entire deals from 1997 onwards for procurement of the Tatra heavy duty trucks by the Army as part of its comprehensive probe into the allegations by Army chief General VK Singh that he was offered a bribe by a lobbyist on behalf of a foreign company that manufactures the vehicles.

The move to investigate the truck deals was taken after the agency found prima facie evidence of dilution in the General Staff Qualitative Requirement for procurement of the trucks two years back. The trucks that were being procured from 1986 onwards have not been purchased after March 2010.

The swift move assumes significance as the agency is yet to register either a Preliminary Probe or a Regular Case (FIR).

Top CBI sources said a case will be registered in the matter soon and the agency has asked the Army as well as the Ministry of Defence to furnish the files related to procurement of the heavy duty trucks.

The agency, sources said, has been given an assurance in writing by the Army that all the documents related to Singh's allegation against the lobbyist, a former Lt General, will be submitted by Friday.

Sources said the truck deals from 1997 onwards are under the scanner of the agency as the Czech company, Tatra, was transferred to British firm Sipox that year. As many as 7000 trucks worth over Rs 3,000 crore have been procured so far.

The agency will register the PE or RC depending on the merits of the probe into the files related to the deals and the documentary evidence furnished by the Army chief to substantiate his claims that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore by a former senior officer of the Army and that he had apprised of the development to Defence Minister AK Antony.

Sources said the taped evidence of the bribe offer will be subjected to forensic tests and the agency is likely to probe the delay in reporting the matter before the law enforcement agencies.

 

[Yusuf]

Tatra truck deal: Antony faces jail for neglect of duty?

Sometimes trying to being Mr Clean and staying away from controversies and trying to wash your hands from controversies is not a good idea.

---------------------

NEW DELHI: Defence minister A K Antony had better come up with a "reasonable excuse" for waking up to corruption allegations in the Tatra deal two years after they had been brought to his notice. For, he would otherwise be liable for a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment up to six months.

The belated registration on Friday of a CBI case related to Tatra indicates Antony violated a legal duty when the bribery allegations had first been brought to his notice in writing by his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2009 and then verbally by Army chief Gen V K Singh in 2010.

His prolonged failure to take action on the issue till it came out in the open flies in the face of the duty cast on "every person" by Section 39 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

When anybody becomes "aware of the commission of or of the intention of any other person to commit" any of the range of offences listed in Section 39 CrPC, he "shall ... forthwith give information" to the nearest magistrate or police officer of "such commission or intention".

The offences which every person is thus required to report immediately include those related to "illegal gratification", which come under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Violations of Section 39 CrPC are punishable under Section 176 of the IPC, which prescribes a maximum six months is jail. It penalizes whoever is "legally bound" to give any information relating to "the commission of an offence or... for the purpose of preventing the commission of an offence".

The only loophole available to Antony is to cite some "reasonable excuse" for his failure to refer the Tatra issue immediately to the CBI. But then, Section 39 CrPC is so stringently worded that it casts a "burden" on the person concerned to prove the reasonableness of his excuse for not performing his duty.

It is doubtful whether Antony can cite the absence of written complaint by Singh as a "reasonable excuse" for not acting promptly. The Army chief, too, is liable under Section 39 CrPC for assuming he can leave it to Antony to initiate the legal process. Since the law requires him to report the matter, he cannot cite his communication to his superior as a "reasonable excuse".

http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/12488251.cms

 

[p2prada]

Nothing will happen to Anthony, but it helps knowing there are such clauses.

 

[A chauhan]

Some relevant issues in this matter i found in outlook:-

10 Unanswered Questions In V.K. Singh Affair :-

1. Have Gen V.K. Singh and defence minister A.K. Antony squandered their Mr Clean image through their recent actions and inactions?

2. Is somebody out to get Gen V.K. Singh? Could the powerful arms lobby and their agents and middlemen be behind leaks and plants?

3. Would Gen Singh have revealed the Rs 14 crore bribe had his version of DoB been accepted?

4. Was V.K. Singh's letter to the PM leaked to protect A.K. Antony, who was on the mat? Or to deflect attention from the offer of bribe?

5. Does the flurry of charges have something to do with PM's absence, the BRICS summit and defence expo in Delhi?

6. Are defence dealers who lost out on the £11.6 billion Rafale deal at work?

7. Could Gen Singh's predecessors—Deepak Kapoor and J.J. Singh—get embroiled in the crosshairs?

8. What impact will V.K. Singh's campaign have on successors Bikram Singh and Daljit Singh?

9. Could the V.K. Singh saga end up exposing top politicians across parties mired in arms deals, a la Bofors?

10. Will the armed forces retain the same glint in the eye of civilians henceforth? How does all this affect army rank and file?

Officer, Gentleman And The Army Mess | Chander Suta Dogra
sorry if repost!

 

[nitesh]

So the good general is right after all:

DNA exclusive: Gen hit it right on the bonnet when he said Tatra trucks unfit - India - DNA

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

All the trucks given to INDIA were knockdown trucks and were refurbished from a junk yard and delivered to INDIA at double price and our babus were not even aware of this, shame on them to say such a lie..........

 

[JAYRAM]

Vectra boss Ravi Rishi at CBI HQ

Last Updated: Monday, April 02, 2012, 16:34

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Vectra Group chief Ravi Rishi on Monday reached the CBI office in New Delhi for questioning in connection with the controversial Tatra trucks deal for Indian Army.

Rishi, whose group Vectra has a controlling stake in the Tatra-Vectra Group, will be grilled by the central probe agency in connection with the alleged bribery allegations made by Army Chief Gen VK Singh in view of a defence deal.

Media reports earlier claimed that the Vectra Group chief had sought more time from the CBI to appear before it in connection with the case.

He has been quizzed by the CBI earlier in connection with the case.

The CBI has also issued a lookout notice against the British citizen to bar him from leaving the country. The probe agency has also confiscated his passport and alerted all airports and exit points to ensure that he does not leave the country.

The CBI in its First Information Report (FIR), registered earlier this week, had named Rishi, a London-based businessman who along with the Vectra Group also has majority stake in Tatra trucks, a Czech manufacturer.

The defence deal related to the sale of 7000 trucks to the Army came under scanner after Army chief General VK Singh had alleged that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe to clear a file related to purchase of trucks.

The CBI had on Friday raided Tatra offices in Bangalore and Delhi in search of evidence.

Public sector unit BEML buys Tatra parts from Vectra and assembles trucks in Bangalore that were then sold to the Army.

General VK Singh on Saturday named retired Lt General Tejinder Singh in his complaint to the CBI. He had earlier claimed that a lobbyist, who had "just" retired, offered him a bribe for clearing "sub-standard" vehicles and he had informed the Defence Minister about it. The Ministry had then recommended a CBI probe into the allegation made by the Army chief.

In view of the claims made by the Army Chief, the CBI may also question retired Lt General Tejinder Singh in connection with the case.

However, retired Lt General Tejinder Singh has refuted the allegations and filed a defamation suit against the Army Chief and four other officers.


Tatra deal probe: Vectra boss Ravi Rishi at CBI HQ

 

[kaustav2001]

Looks like either someone in BEML was hand in glove with Tatra Sipox or BEML was utterly incompetent. From the following DNA article I am assuming it was the former - Czech embassy exposes BEML lies - India - DNA

 

[JAYRAM]

New details emerge on Tatra truck deal

Praveen Swami
Vinay Kumar

CBI questions London millionaire again

Even as Central Bureau of Investigation detectives have begun questioning Ravi Rishi, the London-based millionaire businessman at the heart of the showdown between the Defence Ministry and Chief of the Army Staff V.K. Singh, fresh details have begun to emerge of the truck deal that precipitated the crisis.

Rajan Mukherjee, the general manager of West Bengal-based Ural India, has told The Hindu that General Singh — then General Officer-Commanding of the Eastern Command — had requested the firm to provide trucks for testing in 2008, after Tatra trucks sold by Mr. Rishi's firm "miserably failed 17 Mountain for performing Quick Reaction Team and reconnaissance duties in [the] super-high altitude areas of northern Sikkim."

"Defects"

"During the trials," Mr. Mukherjee said in an e-mail to The Hindu, "the Tatra vehicle developed defects in engine assembly, whereas Ural's engine performance was satisfactory even after running about 600 km at high altitude."

Mr. Rishi owns Vectra, a conglomerate which has a controlling stake in Czech and Slovak-based specialist truck firm Tatra, which has supplied the Indian Army since 1986.

Rashi Verma, a Joint Secretary at the Defence Ministry, had said last week that the government had "never received any complaint from the armed forces" — a statement which suggests the Eastern Command either chose not to pass on its problems with the Tatra to the army headquarters in New Delhi, or that its reports were suppressed by higher authorities.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu published on March 26, General Singh had said he was offered a Rs. 14-crore bribe, which, it emerged, was linked to an officer allegedly representing Tatra to clear a consignment of 600 trucks.

There is no information available so far if Ural India's trucks were the sole platform tested by the Eastern Command in Northern Sikkim and if so, why. Ural is co-owned by Kolkata-based magnate J.K. Saraf, who knew Gen. Singh during his tenure as Eastern Army Commander. There is no allegation, however, of the relationship having caused improper influence to be exercised.

Mr. Mukherjee's claims, however, stand in stark contrast to earlier statements by VRS Natarajan, the head of public-sector giant BEML, which co-manufactures Tatra trucks in India. Mr. Natarajan claimed that Ural India's trucks had been knocked out of competition in the ongoing trials, a claim Mr. Mukherjee has denied in his e-mail to The Hindu, adding that his firm is considering "appropriate action."

The BEML chief, however, has since been backed by Defence Research and Development Organisation chief V.K. Saraswat, who said Tatra trucks were "outstanding." Both BEML and Tatra have said they are considering legal action against General Singh, but provided no details of their course of action.

Army sources said the problem encountered in Sikkim could have been related to the Tatra truck's engine, which is designed for rugged battlefield use, compromising high-altitude performance in return for lower risks of breakdown.

CBI officials refused comment on the issues they had discussed with Mr. Rishi, but the businessman has been barred from leaving India until further notice.

He was earlier questioned by the agency officials last week, soon after the CBI registered an FIR in the case. CBI officials were also poring over and analysing a number of documents seized during raids in Delhi, Noida and Bangalore.

Apart from Mr. Rishi, the FIR refers to unknown officials of BEML, Vectra and the Army. The case was registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy to cheat and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The investigators are tasked with looking into all purchases of Tatra trucks made from 1997, when Vectra took control of Tatra. Since 1986, the Army has purchased some 7,000 Tatra trucks to transport troops and artillery.

The Hindu : News / National : New details emerge on Tatra truck deal-

 

[JAYRAM]

Tatra deal: If Ravi Rishi 'sings', skeletons could tumble out

by FP Editors Apr 2, 2012

The noose is tightening around Ravi Rishi, the NRI businessman who owns the UK-based Vectra group that sold Tatra trucks to the Indian Army, which are at the centre of the controversy surrounding Army chief, Gen VK Singh's sensational allegation of bribery in the case.

On Sunday, the CBI issued restraint orders to prevent Ravi Rishi from leaving the country. It also impounded his passport, and has indicated it will question him again.

The action raises the prospect that Ravi Rishi could face arrest in the case. Last week, his premises and various properties were raided, and documents relating to the controversial deal were recovered.

As Firstpost has noted earlier, the Vectra Group is the largest shareholder in Tatra Holdings, which owns Czech truck manufacturer Tatra.

The Tatra- BEML deal violates the rule that Indian defence contracts are required to be direct deals between supplier and India. In this case, the deal was struck with an intermediary, the Vectra Group, which is tainted even given Vectra Group's organic links with Tatra.

From all accounts, Ravi Rishi used his knowledge of Tatra's straitened financial condition in the 1980s – the company was at that time struggling to survive – to extract low prices from the manufacturer, and then used his connections in India to get an even better deal.

The investigation into the case is all set to widen, given that the FIR lists Vectra company officials, officials in the defence ministry and the public sector defence utility BEML.

In the ultimate analysis, the buck may not stop with Ravi Rishi, and if he gives out more damning information on the deal, a whole lot of skeletons could come tumbling out.

An IIT electrical engineering graduate from New Delhi, Ravi Rishi had reportedly steered the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986 towards the Tatra's all-weather trucks. Congress leaders are worried just how far the CBI probe could stretch; in particular, they are worried whether the CBI will inquire into how the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986 approved of the deal. They are keen to ensure that the scope of the probe does not extend beyond the bribe allegedly offered to the Army chief.

Thus far, Ravi Rishi has dismissed the allegations against him, and said that the Tatra trucks were sold through public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Limited.

He also said the charges levelled by General VK Singh – that the Tatra trucks were sub-standard – were baseless.

Tatra deal: If Ravi Rishi ‘sings’, skeletons could tumble out | Firstpost