If the CBI charge of kickbacks in the
Barak missile deal are true, then former defence minister George Fernandes, president of the now-defunct Samata Party, Jaya Jaitly, and ex-navy chief Sushil Kumar could be indicted for accepting commissions from the Israeli manufacturers. After countrywide raids in 35 places including arms dealer Suresh Nanda's offices in Delhi and Mumbai, the investigating agency claimed clinching evidence in its FIR last week to prove that Rs 2 crore was paid to Fernandes and associate Jaitly.
A senior CBI official told Outlook that Nanda's residence and offices uncovered "computer files, pen drives, bank statements, 15 credit cards and other documents that helped establish the money trail". The agency is also looking into two other arms deals inked by the NDA government—the anti-materiel rifles procured from South African manufacturer Denel and terminally guided ammunitions from Russian firm Krasnopol.
Sources say the...
