CWG case: CBI files translated docs after being pulled up

After the Central Bureau of Investigation was pulled up by a Delhi court for not complying with its order, the agency has submitted translated summons to be served to three officials of Switzerland-based Swiss Timing Ltd, facing trial in a 2010 Commonwealth Games scam case.

The agency filed the summons along with a brief note of the case, which were translated into German language, in the court which handed it over to the prosecutor to send them to the accused persons through the Federal Department of Justice and Police of Swiss Confederation.

"Alongwith the certificate (authenticity of translation), the summons to the accused persons, brief note of the case and above mentioned sections are also produced in German language.

"After signing these documents the same are handed over to the senior PP to be sent to the accused persons through proper channel with directions that photocopies of these documents be retained on record," Special CBI Judge Ravinder Kaur said.

The court also directed the CBI to file a status report on March 28 in connection with the service of summons.

Swiss Timing along with sacked CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and nine others is facing trial for allegedly conspiring and cheating the exchequer to the tune of over Rs 95 crore.

The court had framed charges of cheating and conspiracy against Swiss Timing and had said the record of the case "prima facie" suggests that there are "incriminating evidence about the involvement" of its three officials in the case.

It had directed the CBI to file a charge sheet against the firm's three senior officials, General Manager Christophe Berthaud, General Manager, Sales & Marketing Manager S Chianese, and Multi Sports Events & Sales Manager J Spiri for their alleged involvement in the case.

The court had earlier pulled up the CBI for not complying with its directions to get these summons along with the brief note of the case translated in German language and to obtain certificate of authenticity from a translator within a week.

The court had said even after over 10 days of passing of the order, the translated documents were not furnished before it which was delaying the matter.

On March 21, CBI had submitted translated documents in the court along with a certificate by a translator containing declaration that they were authenticated.

Swiss Timing Ltd was chargesheeted by the CBI along with Kalmadi and others in a case relating to "illegally" awarding a contract to install Timing, Scoring and Results system for the 2010 CWG to Swiss Timing Ltd at inflated rates causing a huge loss to the exchequer.

While directing CBI to file a charge sheet against the three persons, the court had said the name of a person, who had allegedly acted and entered into a criminal conspiracy on behalf of Swiss Timing Ltd with the other accused, is not there in the charge sheet.

It had said the material available on record "speaks of the criminal conspiracy entered into between accused no. 1 to 10 (Kalmadi and others) and accused no. 11 (Swiss Timing Ltd) through Spiri, Chianese and Berthaud."

Kalmadi and nine others, including OC's former Secretary General Lalit Bhanot, are facing trial in the case for the offences including criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, entailing life imprisonment as maximum punishment.

After framing of charges, all the accused had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial in the case.

Besides Kalmadi and Bhanot, the other accused are OC's former Director General V K Verma, former Director General (Procurement) Surjit Lal, former Joint Director General (Sports) A S V Prasad and former Treasurer M Jayachandran.

They are no more associated with the sporting body.

Apart from the six, promoters of two construction firms -- P D Arya and A K Madan of Faridabad-based Gem International and A K Reddy of Hyderabad-based AKR Constructions are also accused. AKR Constructions is also an accused in the case.

CBI had alleged Kalmadi and others had rejected Spanish firm MSL's much lower bid of Rs 62 crore and awarded the contract to Swiss Timing, causing a loss to the exchequer.