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Rajiv Gandhi tried to kill Bofors probe: CBI

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had tried to scuttle a Swedish government probe into the alleged kickbacks in the Rs 14.36 billion gun deal with A B Bofors in 1986, according to the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a New Delhi special court on Friday.

The probe was, however, held by the Swedish National Audit Bureau, which confirmed that payments were made by the Bofors company to, among others, its previous agent in India, the chargesheet said.

''The late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, the PM, had [sometime after April 24, 1987] a telephonic conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Carlsson. He told Carlsson that he had received the report of Bofors, which mentioned that there were no middlemen and, therefore, there was no need for any further investigation by the Swedish government.

''It may be mentioned that what the late Shri Rajiv Gandhi told Swedish Prime Minister Carlsson was just the contrary to what the Government of India had requested through official channels.

''All this took place despite the specific advice of the Indian ambassador in Sweden. In fact, Ambassador B M Oza was kept in the dark with regard to this development,'' the chargesheet said.

Following the conversation, the Swedish government, which had accepted a request for an inquiry, made a public announcement that it would not conduct any investigation.

According to the chargesheet, Ambassador Oza, however, persisted with the original stand ''till the Swedish Prime Minister Carlsson told him about the developments.'' Rajiv Gandhi, however, ''had to relent later" and he sent a message to the Swedish PM on April 28, 1987 to the effect that ''though facts furnished by Bofors tend to confirm the position that there were no middlemen, clarifications are necessary to set the controversy at rest.'' the message said. "In this context, the enquiry promised by the Swedish government is of great importance.''

The Swedish government thereafter ordered an inquiry and the SNAB submitted its report on June 1, 1987. The report confirmed that payments were as ''winding up costs.''

''The SNAP thus confirmed that payments had indeed been made by m/s Bofors in connection with the contract with the Government of India to its previous agent in India but the names of the recipients were withheld from the Government of India,'' the chargesheet said.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Vishwananth Pratap Singh, and former Union ministers Arun Singh, Arun Nehru and K C Pant are among the 83 witnesses who figure in the chargesheet.

V P Singh has been listed as the 14th witness, followed by Arun Singh and Arun Nehru. Pant figures 19th.

On Friday, the CBI had submitted a list of witnesses along with the chargesheet before Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke. The CBI has also provided the recorded statements of the witnesses to the court. These, described as supporting documents to the 25-page chargesheet, run into 2,500-odd pages.

The bureau informed the court that all the witnesses, except the 33 CBI officials, have given their statements about the Rs 14.36 billion howitzer gun deal with Swedish arms manufacturers A B Bofors in 1986, and the Rs 640 million alleged kickbacks paid to intermediaries in contravention of the purchase agreement.

N Ram, the editor of Frontline, who brought to light most of the details about the kickbacks, is also among the witnesses. At number 43.

Tamil Nadu Law Minister Aladi Aruna also finds a place, at number 18, on the list.

One serving and six retired lieutenant generals are cited as witnesses: H Kaul, C N Somanna, K B Mehta, K Surender Singh, J R Malhotra and T P Singh (all retired), and S S Mehta.

The CBI had summoned them to its headquarters and recorded their statements shortly after the first set of secret Swiss bank documents relating to the kickbacks was received from Berne in January 1997.

Former army chief General K Sunderji, Nehru, Arun Singh and former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, named as an accused in the chargesheet, were also summoned by the CBI then.

Most of the witnesses are Delhi residents.

Judge Paul Perraudin, examining magistrate, Geneva, is among the 10 foreign nationals listed as witnesses. While nine are staying abroad, Enrico Stacul, working as the regional director of Snamprogetti is a resident of Delhi.

Meanwhile, V P Singh has said that he would not like to lay emphasis on Rajiv Gandhi's role in the scam now that he is no more.

The law cannot proceed against Gandhi now, the former prime minister tersely told reporters.

He was not hopeful of anything coming out of the chargesheet. He said the CBI has filed chargesheets in many cases - for instance, in the St Kitts forgery - but the accused had been let off scot-free.

It is very strange, he said, that the successes the CBI has secured in Bofors and other cases have only been in foreign courts.

According to Singh, there are two categories of people in the country - one above and the other below the jail line. Which explains why despite the existence of judicial provisions, those with the means escape the clutches of the law, he said.

UNI

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