CBI to send documents to Def Ministry for authentication

NEW DELHI: The CBI is likely to send a fresh set of confidential documents received from arms dealer Abhishek Verma's estranged business associate C Edmond Allen to the Defence Ministry for checking their authenticity.

CBI sources said the agency is examining the documents received through email from the US-based attorney and has decided to send some of these records to the Defence Ministry to check whether they are genuine.

They said some of these documents pertain to procurement plans of the Army which were part of a communication sent to a former chief of the force and seemed secret in nature.

According to sources, some photographs with a Home Ministry officials are also part of the documents which are with the CBI for analysis.

They said based on the advice given by Defence Ministry the agency would proceed further in the matter.

The sources said prima facie no case was made out against the Ministry official but it wants to be sure to avoid any future controversies.

Last year, CBI had booked Verma and his Romanian wife Ancea Neascu for allegedly taking 5.30 lakh US dollars from Swiss firm Rheinmetall Air Defence AG for using his "influence" to stall the blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam had surfaced.

The agency has also slapped cases related to forgery and violation of OSA against him.

Allen and Verma are engaged in a number of litigations against each other in various courts of India and the US, they said.