The CBI, probing the alleged irregularities in purchase of Tatra trucks for the Army, is now preparing to send its team along with a 'letter of request' (LR) to the United Kingdom to get details about the London-based company, Tatra Sipox UK.
The agency also questioned Vectra chairman Ravi Rishi, who is a majority stake-holder in Tatra Sipox, UK, and an accused in the case of alleged irregularities in the purchase of more than 6,000 Tatra trucks, for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
Sources in the agency said, “The agency wants to have detailed information, including documents, about the ownership pattern of Tatra Sipox, UK, and the Vectra group. The agency officials questioned Mr Rishi in this regard on Tuesday also. Mr Rishi, who is a majority stake-holder in Tatra Sipox, UK, has not provided all documents to the agency so far, sources said adding that the agency may send a team of its officials along with a LR to UK to collect relevant documents.
The agency has also asked Mr Rishi to produce all the documents related to the Tatra Sipox, UK, agreement with the state-owned BEML, signed in 1997, sources said.
“The agency is examining large number of documents, recovered during recent searches. After proper scrutiny of these documents, the agency will start questioning officials of the BEML and other senior officials of the Vectra group,” sources said.
“The role of BEML chairman V.R.S. Natarajan is already under the CBI scanner in an acquisition case concerning the BEML. The CBI (Bengaluru unit) has already sought sanction of the defence ministry to probe BEML chief in some complaints in which preliminary inquiry (PE) had been registered by it,” sources said. The Bengaluru unit of the agency is probing several complaints against the BEML officials, sources added.
As far as agency’s probe into Tatra trucks deal is concerned, sources said, it has been found that the agreement signed earlier with a Foreign Trade Corporation of Czechoslovakia for military vehicles was fraudulently assigned to the Tatra-UK in 1997 showing it as original equipment manufacturer, fully owned subsidiary of Czech company.
Meanwhile, the Army chief Gen V.K. Singh has sought a few more days to file his detailed complaint in connection with the alleged bribe offer from a senior retired officer to clear a tranche of nearly 600 “sub-standard” trucks.
The Army chief has now written to CBI saying he requires some more days to give a comprehensive complaint to the agency about the incident, sources said.