CWG probe can drag on for years: CBI

NEW DELHI: CBI sources say with the probe extending to countries like United Kingdom and Switzerland, where the agency is in the process of sending letters rogatory, the investigation into the Commonwealth Games scam could take several years before there is any concrete action. Hence, the agency couldn't have in any way opposed granting of bail to tainted Organising Committee officials T S Darbari and Sanjay Mahendroo. Letter rogatory (LR) is a formal request from one country to another for judicial or investigative assistance.

"The process is on for sending the LRs. We could not have opposed the bail applications because the probe extends to foreign shores and without completing it, we cannot file a chargesheet either. The law states that if a person is not chargesheeted within 60 days of arrest he should be granted bail," said a CBI officer, while replying to charges that it was the agency's failure that the officials "got away".

CBI, sources say, wants to send the LR to the UK asking for questioning of Ashish Patel, whose companies A M Films and A M Cars had made arrangements for the Queen's Baton Relay allegedly at exorbitant rates and also for access to the financial documents of the companies. The LR to Switzerland is being sent because the mother concern of one of the allegedly errant suppliers for CWG overlays is reportedly based there. Defending the arrest of the two CWG officials, the officer said, "Even courts have said that questioning is more effective in custody and the nature of the scam is such that there is a complicated network of transactions which have to be understood. That was the purpose of the arrests of the two officials."

LR procedures, officers say, can typically take anything between one and 10 years. "The oldest LR that I have, which is still being worked on, is 10 years old," said an officer, adding that it also depends on the countries and what kind of understanding Indian government has with the government of that country.

"For both the United Kingdom and Switzerland responses are usually prompt but it would also depend on what all we ask for in them. If there are voluminous records to be obtained, naturally it will take time," said an officer.

The officer though insisted that LR procedures can be expedited to "just a few months" under some circumstances and the agency was hoping for that.