Army chief sends complaint to CBI on bribery offer

New Delhi, Apr 10 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff, General V.K. Singh has sent his complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Rs 14 crore alleged bribery offer made to him by a retired officer to clear the supply of a tranche of 600 vehicles.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony had earlier ordered a CBI probe into a case relating to public sector undertaking BEML even as inquiry was on into a complaint about an alleged scam in purchase of Tatra trucks.

Retired Lt. Gen. Tejinder Singh today told a Delhi court that the allegations that he offered to bribe the Army chief for clearing sub-standard trucks were 'false and ill-founded'.

Lt. Gen. Tejinder, who retired as chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency, sued Army chief General V K Singh and others for a press release issued by the media cell of the Army Head Quarters on March 5 for levelling serious allegations against him by name.

General V.K. Singh had earlier claimed that he was offered bribe worth Rs.14 crore to have a tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles cleared for purchase.

General Singh also said that 7,000 of those sub-standard vehicles were already in use in the Army and had been sold over the years at exorbitant prices.

In an interview to national daily 'The Hindu', General Singh earlier said, "One of these men had the gumption to walk up to me and tell me that if I cleared the tranche, he would give me Rs.14 crore. He was offering a bribe to me, to the Army Chief. He told me that people had taken money before me and they will take money after me."

The Army chief had claimed that he had reported the matter to the Defence Ministry. (ANI)