Authorities concerned in South Africa have assured the CBI that they would soon provide detail information about the identity of the “middlemen” who allegedly played a crucial role in the controversial Denel arms deal case. The middlemen, sources said, had allegedly got commission worth several crores in the deal.
According to sources, South African authorities have informed the agency that they would soon provide all information, including identity of the middlemen, sought by the CBI in its Letters Rogatory (LR). The CBI had sent LRs to South Africa, Hong Kong and Isle of Man, whose administrative responsibility lay with the British government, seeking details about the company as well as the British intermediary which helped in clinching the deal but they did not materialise.
“South African authorities are also expected to provide bank transaction details of the state-owned South African arms manufacturer Denel and its British representative,” sources said. If required the agency may take assistance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also in this regard, sources added.
Ascertaining the identity of the middlemen will certainly help the CBI in completing its probe at the earliest, sources said. After getting a reply from South Africa, the agency will start its probe, sources added.
The CBI in 2005 had booked unnamed officials South African firm Denel, its British representative and officials of the Union defence ministry to probe alleged corruption in arms purchase case. Denel had to supply 1,200 bunker-buster anti-material rifles to India.
The defence ministry of South Africa had asked the CBI to present its case before them so that judicial requests sent by the latter seeking information about the company could be furnished. A two-member CBI team, headed by its chief A.P. Singh, recently visited South Africa in connection with the agency’s probe related to alleged irregularities in the arms deal case.