The CBI, probing the alleged bribery offer to former Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh, is planning to question certain officials of the state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) also. According to sources, the agency officials are probing the role of BEML officials in mentioning the number of all terrain trucks on file, required by different commands of army, higher than the actual requirement. “Probe by the agency has already revealed that the number of trucks required, mentioned on file, were much higher than the actual requirement by all the commands of the Army,” sources said.
The former Army Chief, in his complaint to the CBI, had said that he was allegedly offered a bribe of `14 crore by a retired officer to clear a tranche of around 700 Tatra vehicles. The agency sleuths are scrutinising the actual requirement lists sent by different commands of the Indian Army.
“It is suspected that a section of officials either in the Army or BEML might be lobbying for all terrain trucks and tried to push the file through the then Army Chief’s office. Probe by the agency has also revealed that a few controversial decisions related to the supply of Tatra trucks from a Czech manufacturer via a United Kingdom-based intermediary were taken by accused officials of BEML without consent from the ministry of defence,” sources said.
Sources said, “It is suspected that several decisions, including those related to pricing of the trucks, were taken by BEML without the MoD’s approval in the years after 2003.”