The Hindu : National : Opinion of DRDO was over-ruled: CBI

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Wednesday, Oct 11, 2006
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Opinion of DRDO was over-ruled: CBI

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation, which has filed a case against the former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, the former Samata Party president, Jaya Jaitly, and the former Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sushil Kumar, in connection with alleged irregularities in the Israeli Barak missile deal, in a press note said:

``Opinion of the DRDO was over-ruled by the then Defence Minister at the behest of the middleman/agent. The then Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) also colluded with the other accused and put up a note directly to the Defence Minister to import six Barak AMD systems, misrepresenting facts and citing a DRDO concurrence given three years earlier when the indigenous Trishul system was in its initial stages of development and when in fact the CNS had discussed this matter that very day with the then DRDO chief, who had opposed the proposal.

"The then Defence Minister not only approved the proposal for import of Barak AMD systems, but also tried to get the proposal approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security of the then caretaker Government despite objections by the then Defence Secretary," the CBI said in a press note.

Single tender

Further, the proposal for the contract had been processed on a single tender basis.

The negotiated note of $ 268.63 million (Rs. 1125 crore) was also in excess of the earlier quoted rate of $17 million (about Rs. 71 crore), for which there is no proper justification, it said.

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