BackGovernment gets JPC motion through Rajya Sabha
Motion to appoint the committee adopted after opposition parties, led by Bharatiya Janata Party, stage walkout
Premium(Hemant Mishra/Mint)
New Delhi: The Indian government on Wednesday formed a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to investigate whether bribes were paid in the purchase of helicopters from an Italian firm.
The motion to appoint the committee was adopted in the Rajya Sabha after opposition parties, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), staged a walkout.
Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, rejected the proposal, saying that it will not serve any purpose as no charges have been pressed in India and the accused are to be extradited. BJP is unlikely to be a part of the parliamentary panel.
The BJP is demanding a Supreme Court monitored investigation over the allegations of kickbacks in the purchase of 12 helicopters from Anglo-Italian defence company AgustaWestland Ltd, a unit of Finmeccanica SpA.
In February 2012, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the deal had generated “slush funds" to the tune of €10 million.
In 2011, the Italian attorney general’s office started investigating Finmeccanica for alleged fraudulent dealings in the ₹ 3,546 crore contract to supply helicopters that were to be used to ferry VVIPs, including the president and the prime minister.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, which has been battling a slew of corruption charges, has been trying to defuse the controversy and has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the chopper deal.
During a debate on the subject in Parliament, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar sought a Supreme Court monitored investigation into the helicopter deal and asked the government to chase and disclose the money trail.
“A lot of time has been spent in debating scandals in the Parliament when it should have been used to discuss topics of greater importance to the nation," Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said. “Bills that were to have been passed are still not passed."
The probe in the case should be conducted by the JPC in addition to the CBI to oversee the investigations, she said.
Defence minister A.K. Antony said he has ordered a CBI inquiry.
“We have not received any official document from the Italian investigators. They said they cannot share it," he said adding that the investigation is at a preliminary stage and 11 companies and four people were being probed by CBI.
On Monday, the CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry against former Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his three cousins, and 11 other people over allegations of kickbacks in the purchase of helicopters.
The agency formally launched an investigation after its officials returned from Italy with documents related to the purchase of the helicopters and the prosecution of Finmeccanica chief executive officer Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, CEO of UK-registered AgustaWestland. They were arrested in Italy on 12 February for allegedly paying bribes to Indian officials through middlemen Guido Ralph Hashcke, Carlo Gerosa and Michael Christian.
All of them, including the two companies, have been named in the preliminary enquiry.
Two Indian companies —IDS Infotech Ltd and Aeromatrix—have also been named in the preliminary enquiry.
tarun.s@livemint.com
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