Probe by the CBI into alleged bribery offer to Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh has revealed that a retired Army official, who is under scanner of the agency, had reportedly visited his office in South Block on September 22, 2010.
Scrutiny of the visitors register (2010) of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) office, taken by the CBI on Friday, has revealed that the retired official, who allegedly made an offer of `14 crore to Gen. Singh for procurement of nearly 600 sub-standard trucks for the Indian Army, made an entry in the register before meeting the COAS.
Sources in the agency said, “Scrutiny of the visitors diary has revealed that the retired official, who allegedly made an offer to the Army Chief, visited his office in South Block on September 22, 2010. But merely meeting Gen. Singh in his office does not establish bribery-offer allegation at all”.
The bribery-offer allegation is yet to be proved, sources said adding the Army Chief has assured the agency sleuths that he will provide more evidence to the Central Bureau Of Investigation.
The CBI officials on Friday recorded the statement of Gen. Singh in connection with agency’s probe related to his allegation that bribes had been offered to him for procurement of nearly 600 Tatra trucks for the Indian Army. The CBI on April 11 registered a preliminary inquiry on the Army Chief complaint that he was offered a bribe by a retired officer to clear a tranche of sub-standard vehicles.
Gen. Singh provided several documents related to alleged irregularities in the procurement of Tatra trucks for the Army also.
“Documents provided by the Army Chief will be considered as evidence in both bribery-offer allegation as well as agency’s probe related to the procurement of Tatra trucks in the Army,” sources said.