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May 26, 2001

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     Scandal

Three defence ministry officials found
guilty in Tehelka expose on corruption

The defence ministry's Chief Vigilance Officer R P Bagai has prima facie found three civilian officials H C Pant, Narendra Singh and P Sasi guilty of corruption and misconduct in the Tehelka expose on corruption in defence deals.

Pant is an officer of Deputy Secretary rank and at present posted as staff officer in the Ordnance Factory Board. Narendra Singh is an Assistant Financial Adviser in the ministry and Sasi is posted at Army Headquarters.

The one-man Bagai inquiry committee submitted its report to Defence Minister Jaswant Singh on Wednesday for further action, highly placed sources in the defence minisry said.

Pant had been videotaped receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 in three installments, Sasi getting Rs 20,000 and Narendra Singh Rs 10,000.

The three officers are already under suspension.

A defence ministry spokesman confirmed that the committee had submitted its report but refused to divulge the findings saying the report would now be scrutinised by the minister.

Asked whether the former additional secretary in the ministry L N Mehta, who also figured in the Tehelka tapes, had been indicted by the committee, the spokesman said he was not aware of the findings of the committee.

Mehta, a senior Haryana cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has since been transferred to the Planning Commission as an adviser.

The Bagai committee was set up on March 22 to probe the role of civilian officials in the expose and was also asked to submit a report on any shortcomings in the armament procurement procedures.

The committee sought an extension for a month in April.

A parallel three-member army Court of Inquiry, which probed the involvement of senior serving army officers, has already submitted its report to the General Officer Commander-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Surjit Singh.

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