INDIA: Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar denies Indian media reports saying his officers were implicated in the now suspect $750 million Italian Finmeccanica helicopter deal

Record ID: 1382649

  • Title: INDIA: Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar denies Indian media reports saying his officers were implicated in the now suspect $750 million Italian Finmeccanica helicopter deal
  • Date: 16th February 2013
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (FEBRUARY 16, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SPOKESPERSON OF INDIA'S MAIN RULING CONGRESS PARTY, RASHID ALVI, SAYING: "The government has already announced a CBI inquiry in this matter. The CBI has started its work. The government has said that if any wrong doings are found in this matter, then this entire deal itself will
  • Embargoed: 3rd March 2013 19:09
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  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6TKMEPB4XTA4O75ND2ZP3UOGL
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar denied reports, which said Delhi Police were implicated in a dubious $750 million Italian Finmeccanica helicopter deal Media reports on Saturday (February 16) highlighted that the Italian probe has pointed out to company Agusta Wetland hiring middlemen to secure deals for an order with the Delhi Police in 2009.
    The reports came in the wake of the ongoing inquiry by the federal police the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) into the deal scam, and now a finger of blame is also being pointed towards the Italian company for trying to influence the interior ministry for a deal with the Delhi Police as well.
    Kumar on Saturday said he ruled out the involvement of the Delhi police in the helicopter deal.

    "Not at all. It was not even in our minds," he said, as reporters probed him.
    In recent years, India has emerged as the world's largest weapons importer, but procurements are periodically held up by allegations of corruption. Finmeccanica could be blacklisted in India for at least five years if investigators prove bribery.
    The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the media have said the government should have acted sooner on signs that something was amiss.
    BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar stated here that the government was never serious to probe the matter.

    "The task of hoodwinking the nation was being carried on since one year. It was the Italian government which showed courage and brought the matter in front of the court, this is why some action took place in India. Otherwise this government was not ready to do anything. They gave all wrong answers to the questions that were asked. And they never replied to any of the letters we wrote to them, because they wanted to cover up this entire matter," he said.
    Earlier on Wednesday (February 13), Defence Minister Arackaparambil Kurien Antony said that India will blacklist Finmeccanica SpA and cancel the deal to buy 12 helicopters from the Italian defence group if allegations of bribery are proven against the company.
    Italian police arrested Finmeccanica's Chief Executive Giuseppe Orsi on Tuesday (February 12) for alleged bribes paid to secure the sale of 12 AgustaWestland executive helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF), when he was head of the Finmeccanica helicopter unit.
    On his part, Defence Minister Antony, besides ordering an inquiry by the CBI had also said that so far internal inquiries by the ministry have found no evidence against Finmeccanica in the 754 million USD helicopter deal.
    Other opposition parties too have demanded a probe into the Finmeccanica deal under the supervision of parliamentary committee, as the Congress party is believed to be misusing the federal probe agency, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
    Chief Minister of northern Punjab state and leader of the regional Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party, Prakash Singh Badal criticised the government as he lamented the occurrence of the scam.

    "It is really sad that the helicopters, which were supposed to be used for the President, Prime Minister and other big people and the VIPs is now involved in a scam," Badal said.
    India is seeking to cancel a $750 million order for a dozen helicopters from Italian defence group Finmeccanica, the defence ministry said on Friday, responding to growing pressure over kickback allegations.
    India has frozen payments for the Agusta Westland helicopters pending an inquiry after Italian police earlier this week arrested the head of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, in connection with the case.
    India has already taken delivery of three of the helicopters.
    In its defence, the ruling Congress party reiterated that it is taking the matter very seriously and stringent action would be taken against the guilty.

    "The government has already announced a CBI enquiry in this matter. The CBI has started its work. The government has said that if any wrong doings are found in this matter, then this entire deal itself will be cancelled. The truth will come out before the nation. The guilty shall be punished," said spokesperson of the Congress party, Rashid Alvi.
    Italian prosecutors said in the warrant reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday that two managers at Agusta Westland, a unit of defence group Finmeccanica paid go-betweens to help it win the 2010 contract to supply 12 helicopters to India.
    Part of these payments ended up with the three Indian brothers, Juli, Docsa and Sandeep Tyagi, whose cousin Air Chief Marshal Sashindra Pal Tyagi was the former Indian Air Force chief.
    None of the Tyagis has been accused of wrongdoing by officials in India.
    Commenting on these developments, Air Chief Marshal (Retd) S P Tyagi had reacted to say he was shocked by such revelations by contending he had retired in 2007. Nonetheless, he also supported the CBI probe.
    The chorus against the futility of the CBI inquiry was also joined by other political parties who reiterated that this is nothing but a show which never gives out any results.
    Graft is likely to be a major issue in elections due by 2014 and a senior defence ministry official said the government was seeking to scrap the deal to fend off pressure in parliament.
    The issue is expected to dominate the first few days of the budget session in India's parliament when it opens next week.
    The image of the Congress party-led government has been tarnished in the last four years by corruption scandals in the sale of mobile phone spectrum, coal fields and contracts for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
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