The Defence Ministry on Wednesday sought a CBI probe into allegations that kickbacks were paid in the $208 million Embraer aircraft deal that DRDO had struck with the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer during the UPA rule in 2008.
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“I am not going to give a knee jerk reaction and just make a statement based on rumours”.
A joint U.S. -Brazil investigation into Embraer has uncovered a bribery case leading to a deal signed between the company and DRDO in 2008 for three aircraft equipped with indigenous radars for AEW&C (airborne early warning and control systems). “If there are just procedural issues, then we can do an internal investigation”, Parrikar had said.
Government sources said that since the allegations were of a serious nature, the CBI has been asked to probe.
The Defence Minister had earlier this week asserted that if the issues display a criminal nature then it will be handed over to the CBI.
A U.S. -Brazil investigation into the deal, uncovered a bribery case, leading to a deal between the company and the DRDO in 2008.
As per the reports, Embraer had secured the deal with the help of an Indian middleman based in UK.
According to the report, the company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans’ suspicions.
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The company had delivered the first aircraft in 2011 and the remaining two in 2013. The investigation was later expanded to business dealings with eight other countries. The amount of the deal was not announced at the time.
