Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari booked for graft again

The CBI booked controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari in yet another case of alleged corruption involving a Rs 2,895-crore deal of 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force in 2012.

The action comes close on the heels of the Ministry of Defence banning all transactions and dealings with fugitive arms dealers firm, Offset India Solutions (P) Ltd and its group companies, as well as functionaries, until further orders.

Findings in the three-year-old inquiry by the CBI showed a prima facie case of corruption against the accused. The CBI conducted raids at nine places in Delhi-Noida and Ghaziabad on June 21 in connection with alleged kickbacks in arms deal between Bhandari and Pilatus Aircrafts Ltd.

The Agency, sources said, has seized several incriminating documents and electronic devices related to the alleged kickbacks during searches at Bhandari's offices and residence and at Pilatus Aircraft's corporate office.

Besides Bhandari, the CBI has also booked his companies, Offset India Solutions Pvt Ltd, Offset India Solutions FZC, UAE, Deepak Aggarwal, Himanshu Verma, Bimal Sareen and unknown defence ministry and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials for criminal conspiracy, cheating and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Bhandari, believed to be a close associate of Robert Vadra, is wanted for alleged breach of foreign exchange rules and kickbacks in several defence deals. The Indian government has no information on Bhandari's whereabouts. He had fled India in 2016 after a case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

The Swiss company was one of the bidders for the contract floated in 2009, which CBI alleges had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Bhandari and Bimal Sareen, directors of Offset India Solutions Private Limited, and dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Service Provider Agreement with them in June 2010 in violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2008.

The agreement was allegedly done to get the contract for supply of 75 basic Trainer Aircraft to the IAF. According to CBI, the company made a payment of CHF 1,000,000 in the account of OIS Private Limited with the Standard Chartered Bank, New Delhi in two tranches in August and October, 2010.

In addition, Rs 350 crore was also transferred in Swiss Francs from 2011 to 2015 in the bank accounts of Dubai-based Offset India Solutions FZC belonging to Bhandari.

The CBI claims that Pilatus fraudulently signed a Pre-Contract Integrity Pact on November 12, 2010 with the Defence Ministry, deliberately concealing the facts about service provider agreement with Bhandari. The inquiry showed that Pilatus allegedly concealed payments made to Bhandari's companies in India and Dubai, they said.

It is suspected that commission was paid to influence the officials of the IAF and the defence ministry officials associated with the procurement.

"Offset India Solutions Pvt Ltd and other Indian companies of Bhandari and his wife Sonia Bhandari received Rs 25.5 crore during June, 2012 to March, 2015 in lieu of cash provided by Bhandari from various companies of Deepak Aggarwal," the FIR said.

Bhandari allegedly routed money through purchase of various companies and cash transactions involving Aggarwal and Verma, it alleged.