Businessman Abhishek Verma and his Romanian wife, arrested for allegedly receiving money from a Swiss arms firm to stall blacklisting proceedings against it, on Tuesday moved a Delhi court seeking bail on the ground that the Central Bureau of Investigation has failed to file the chargesheet against them in 60 days.
Verma and his wife Anca Maria Neacsu, arrested by CBI on June 8, moved their bail applications before Special Judge Gurvinder Pal Singh who listed it for hearing on Wednesday before the concerned court adjudicating the case.
Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for both the accused, told the court that the stipulated 60-day period to file the chargesheet against their clients would end at midnight on Tuesday and the pleas should be heard on Wednesday.
Both the accused are under judicial custody till Wednesday.
Verma and Anca have been accused of taking $530,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD) for using his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings initiated by Indian government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam had surfaced.
The CBI has booked the couple under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly giving bribe to public servants.
If convicted, the offences carry a punishment of six months to five years in jail.
The couple had been questioned by CBI regarding the transactions of funds between Ganton India and Ganton USA, which are said to be his front companies, and about his business relationships with estranged associate C Edmon Allen who had levelled several allegations against them with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In June, Verma had moved a Delhi court accusing Allen of cheating him of Rs 55 crore and forging documents and emails to defame him.
Allen had filed the complaint with CBI and other top officials accusing Verma of receiving funds from RAD for bailing it out.
Verma is also an accused in the Naval War Room leak case in which commercial naval secrets were leaked to foreign companies. Ravi Shankaran, kin of former naval chief Arun Prakash, is also an accused in this case.