Ukraine alleges Rs 17.5 crore kickbacks to the officials of Ministry of Defence for the purchase of military transport aircraft AN32. According to the Indian Express reports, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NAB) sent a “request for international legal assistance” to the Ministry of Home Affairs via the Indian envoy in Kiev.”
According to the report, Ukraine’s state-owned company Spetstechnoexport signed the agreement with Ministry of Defence on November 26, 2014, for the supply of the spare parts of Indian Air Force’s Aircraft Carrier AN32 to India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). A middle agent – Global Marketing- based in the UAE worked for the Ukrainian firm Spetstechnoexport that received $2.6 million, is alleged to be behind the kickbacks to the officials of MoD in India. Ukrainian firm Spetstechnoexport alleges that even after 11 months of signing the deal with MoD, another pact was signed with the Global Marketing SP Ltd for its implementation.
Interestingly, Ukraine’s NAB has written to India for the assistance in the further investigation in the sequence that the terms of the agreement have yet not been implemented. According to the report published, NAB has for the details information from India on the second agreement with Global Marketing and names of the defense ministry officials who were the parties in the discussion with this agency. NAB has also initiated an inquiry for the alleged transfer of funds through their account in Noor Islamic Bank in Dubai.
What ails our defence industry?
BW Businessworld has recently published an editorial about the laggards of the Ministry of Defence in India. The murky affair has substantiated that fact that what ails our defense system are corruption, bureaucracy led red-tape and unaccountability. The expose’ has again reminded us the ghost of Bofors’s scandal are still at work everywhere-until a shock sends shivers. Zap it, lest we must meddle with the security of the country at least.