By IANS
New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will soon question former defence minister George Fernandes and former Indian Navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of the Israeli Barak missile in 2000, the agency said Wednesday.
“We are in a process of issuing summons to Fernandes and others. The accused in the case will be interrogated in due course of time,” a CBI official told IANS.
The CBI has also booked Fernandes’ confidante Jaya Jaitley, and then Samata Party treasurer R.K. Jain for alleged irregularities in the deal, sealed during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime that was voted out of power in the 2004 general elections.
The $100 million deal had come under the scanner after it was alleged that Fernandes had overruled, at the behest of arms agent Suresh Nanda, the opinion of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that it could develop a system similar to the Barak.
The CBI has also accused Nanda, the son of former Indian Navy chief Admiral S.M. Nanda, of receiving Rs.4 million in kickbacks after the deal was signed.
According to the CBI, Sushil Kumar had colluded with the other accused to misrepresent facts and had bypassed the usual channels to directly recommend to Fernandes the import of six Barak AMD (anti-missile defence) systems.
Ironically, even as the CBI proceeds with the case, India has signed a deal with Israel to develop a second-generation version of the Barak.
The missile has been installed on frontline Indian Navy ships like the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and has performed creditably, naval officers say.
Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony witnessed the efficiency of the Barak during his “Day at Sea” with the Indian Navy last January when it successfully intercepted an incoming “enemy” missile.