Army chief tells CBI: Ravi Rishi offered bribe via Tejinder Singh

In his complaint to the CBI, Army chief General VK Singh has reportedly accused Vectra Group chief Ravi Rishi of attempting to bribe him and sending retired army official Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh to offer it to him to clear a contract for acquiring trucks. The Army chief has alleged that the bribe offer was made to him in September 2010 by the former army official as Rishi was not keen to make the offer directly, The Indian Express reported. [caption id=“attachment_273257” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“General VK Singh had alleged he was offered a bribe to clear the acquisition of a tranche of vehicles. AFP”]  [/caption] “Rishi was reluctant to meet the Army chief personally because he feared it could land him in trouble,” the report quoted an unnamed CBI official as saying. The CBI has reportedly registered a preliminary enquiry in the case and could call Lt General Singh for questioning soon, the report stated. “The process of verification of the complaint and facts provided by Gen VK Singh has begun. We will soon examine retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh and Rishi. The General has provided us details of the contract for Tatra trucks and the action taken by the army headquarters against the supplier for sending sub-standard vehicles,” a senior CBI official was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times. The CBI is already investigating allegations of the Czechoslovakia-made Tatra trucks had been procured at higher prices than required and has questioned Rishi and other officials from public sector company Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML). Rishi has already been questioned multiple times. Rishi has denied knowing Lt Gen (retired) Singh and offering a bribe to the Army chief. Lt Gen (retired) Singh has also denied allegations of offering a bribe to the Army chief and has filed a case alleging defamation against General Singh and four others before a Delhi court. The court is to decide on whether there is sufficient cause to summon the Army chief before it on 21 April. General VK Singh had stated in media reports that he had been offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore to clear the acquisition of a tranche of vehicles for the Indian Army. Defence Minister AK Antony had sought for a CBI probe into the case and had said that when he learnt of the incident he had asked the Army chief to file a formal complaint which had not been done.