Wing commander dismissed for seeking bribe from French firm

NEW DELHI: IAF has dismissed a Wing Commander who was allegedly caught demanding a bribe of Rs 20,000 from officials of a French defence firm at the Aero India show in Bangalore in 2011.

Wing Commander AK Thakur was dismissed after a General Court Martial found him guilty of seeking bribe from French defence firm Dassault Aviation during the show in February 2011, IAF sources said on Tuesday.

Thakur was accused of demanding bribe for allotting a 'more advantageous position' for its Rafale aircraft in the 'static' aircraft display section at the biennial airshow, the sources said.

An official of Dassault Aviation, who had filed a complaint against the officer, also appeared before the GCM headed by a Group Captain-rank officer, the sources said.

Dassault Aviation's Rafale, which has now won the race for IAF's multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal, was one of the six contenders in the hotly-contested tender when the alleged incident took place.

The GCM had recommended Thakur's dismissal last year itself but its recommendations could not be confirmed so far as the officer had approached the courts seeking relief.