Court frames charges, Chandra Swami pleads not guilty

Chandra Swami and his aide, Kailashnath Aggarwal, on Thursday pleaded not guilty in the St Kitts forgery case after the trial court framed charges against them for conspiracy and forgery aimed at defaming and securing the conviction of Janata Dal leader V P Singh.

Chandra Swami's counsel Rajinder Singh said he would challenge the framing of charges in the Delhi high court against his clients by the designated court of Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke.

Former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and former minister of state for external affairs K K Tewari were discharged in the case last month for want of evidence.

The judge said Chandra Swami and Aggarwal had between November 15, 1988, and October 1989 forged documents to show that Ajeya Singh, V P Singh's son, had opened an account in the First Trust Corporation Ltd in the Caribbean island of St Kitts and deposited $ 21 million.

The accused had done this in conspiracy with Enforcement Directorate assistant director A P Nandy and First Trust Managing Director George McLean, the judge said.

The conspiracy was hatched and executed at Delhi, Miami, St Kitts, New York, and other places.

''No such account was in existence and you also agreed to create forged statement of the account as well as forged deposit and withdrawal slips... And also got the forged documents authenticated with the motive of harming the reputation of V P Singh and Ajeya Singh and securing their conviction for offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Foreign Exchange Regulation Act,'' the judge said.

UNI

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