CBI to end VK Singh bribery probe soon

NEW DELHI: The CBI is on the verge of closing the probe into the bribery allegation levelled by former army chief VK Singh against retired Lt General Tejinder Singh due to lack of evidence, sources told HT.

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is on the verge of closing a probe into the bribery allegation made by former Army chief General VK Singh against retired Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh due to lack of evidence, sources said.

“We will take a call in this regard in the next couple of days as General Singh has, so far, failed to provide any clinching evidence that Lt Gen Tejinder Singh offered him bribe,” claimed a CBI official requesting anonymity.

General Singh could not be reached for his comment.

In March 2012, then army chief General VK Singh claimed that Tejinder Singh offered him a bribe of R14 crore to clear the purchase of over 600 Tatra heavy duty trucks for the army. The trucks were to be supplied by Vectra Group through defence public sector unit BEML. General Singh also alleged that the offer, made in September 2010, was on behalf of Vectra group owner Ravinder Rishi.

At that time General VK Singh was involved in a bitter fight over his age with the government.

“We have not found any credible evidence to link Tejinder Singh with Ravinder Rishi,” said the official.

Tejinder Singh in his statement to the CBI never denied meeting General VK Singh. Tejinder Singh claimed he met Gen VK Singh to seek his support for the post of chief of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

The CBI in its investigation found almost three months before the September, 2010 meeting with Tejinder Singh, Gen VK Singh had written a demi- official letter to National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon recommending name of the retired Lt General.

“General VK Singh claimed after the alleged bribery offer he verbally told the NSA that Tejinder was not the right person for the job. But interestingly he didn’t follow his verbal communication with a written letter. So, in these circumstances his letter to the NSA still stands,” said the official.

As HT had reported on June 17, VK Singh has also not provided the CD of his conversation with Tejinder Singh in which the bribe offer was made.