CWG overlays scam: CBI to send team to France & England
While ESA is British firm, GL Events is based in France. Pico is headquartered in Hong Kong and Nusli is a Swiss company.
By Devesh Kumar, ET Bureau | Updated:
NEW DELHI: In an attempt to expedite its probe into the overlays scam, which arose out of the CWG Organising Committee's decision to hire equipment and furnishings for various venues at highly inflated prices, the CBI has decided to send teams to France and England to question officials of two firms which eventually bagged the contract in partnership with their Indian arms.
The CBI is awaiting diplomatic clearance to dispatch the teams. In a departure from normal practice, the agency has decided to take recourse to this measure for undertaking proper spadework before sending formal Letters Rogatory (LRs). Official sources said this is part of the police-to-police co-operation set in motion by CBI chief AP Singh.
The idea, the sources added, was to get a better understanding of the issues involved with the help of the police of the foreign countries concerned. This will ensure that the LRs, when they are finally sent, are more focused and to the point, sources said.
The contract for overlays, which entailed supplying equipment and furnishing on rent, was awarded by the OC to a clutch of four companies that had formed partnership with Indian firms. These included ESA-D'Art Indo Consortium; GL Events and Meroform India; Pico-Deepali Arts; and Nusli India. The worth of these contracts was 668 crore.
While ESA is British firm, GL Events is based in France. Pico is headquartered in Hong Kong and Nusli is a Swiss company. The OC still owed some 250 crore to the British and French firms, and their representatives had taken the diplomatic route to pile up pressure on the Indian government to use its good office to ask the OC officials to clear the pending amount. In return, they assured the CBI of extending full co-operation in carrying out its probe into the scam.
The representatives of the two firms had, CBI sources said, initially agreed to come over to India to respond to their queries, but, apprehending arrest, backed out after the TSR chargesheet was filed. The investigating agency has now decided to send its own teams to the two countries to seek the cooperation of the local police and to quiz officials of the firms.
The CBI is awaiting diplomatic clearance to dispatch the teams. In a departure from normal practice, the agency has decided to take recourse to this measure for undertaking proper spadework before sending formal Letters Rogatory (LRs). Official sources said this is part of the police-to-police co-operation set in motion by CBI chief AP Singh.
The idea, the sources added, was to get a better understanding of the issues involved with the help of the police of the foreign countries concerned. This will ensure that the LRs, when they are finally sent, are more focused and to the point, sources said.
The contract for overlays, which entailed supplying equipment and furnishing on rent, was awarded by the OC to a clutch of four companies that had formed partnership with Indian firms. These included ESA-D'Art Indo Consortium; GL Events and Meroform India; Pico-Deepali Arts; and Nusli India. The worth of these contracts was 668 crore.
While ESA is British firm, GL Events is based in France. Pico is headquartered in Hong Kong and Nusli is a Swiss company. The OC still owed some 250 crore to the British and French firms, and their representatives had taken the diplomatic route to pile up pressure on the Indian government to use its good office to ask the OC officials to clear the pending amount. In return, they assured the CBI of extending full co-operation in carrying out its probe into the scam.
The representatives of the two firms had, CBI sources said, initially agreed to come over to India to respond to their queries, but, apprehending arrest, backed out after the TSR chargesheet was filed. The investigating agency has now decided to send its own teams to the two countries to seek the cooperation of the local police and to quiz officials of the firms.
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