Suresh Kalmadi questions CBI move for separate trial of Swiss firm

NEW DELHI: Sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, arrested for his alleged role in illegal award of a Games contract to a Swiss firm, on Tuesday questioned CBI's plea to a Delhi court seeking to separate the firm's trial from those of other accused.

Kalmadi's counsel questioned CBI's move to separate the trial of Swiss Timing from ten other accused, including himself, in the case contending before Special CBI judge Talwant Singh that there was no legal provision under which CBI has sought to do so.

He questioned as to under what law CBI has sought the court's permission for holding separate trial of the Swis firm which was given the contract to install the Timing, Scoring and Result systems for the 2010 mega sports event.

The Swiss firm, which had secured the contract allegedly due to the links of two Faridabad-based businessman P D Arya and A K Madan with Kalmadi and which had later sub-contracted the work to the Faridabad entrepreneurs' firm Gem International, is one of the 11 accused in the case.

CBI had moved the court earlier this month for a separate trial of the Swiss firm.

The agency had told the court in its application that it had served summons to Swiss Timing in the manner prescribed under the treaty between the two countries but the firm being under the jurisdiction of the confederation of Switzerland, it would take time in bringing it to the jurisdiction of this court.