The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) claim of blacklisting the company, Finmeccanica, involved in the Augusta Westland chopper scam, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lifting the ban is only a figment of imagination, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said.
Talking to reporters after launching the NDA’s Vision Document for the Assembly elections here on Saturday, Mr. Jaitley said a company would be blacklisted only on establishing its guilt. Former Defence Minister A.K. Antony was suffering from amnesia, he said.
Tracing the course of events, Mr. Jaitley said that after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, Mr. Antony had issued an order on May 12, putting on hold all contracts signed with the company regarding the helicopter deal. Once the new government assumed office on May 26, he looked into the issue and issued another order on June 9 to freeze all contracts. The Attorney General then said that the order would affect the country’s defence preparedness and also the purchase of spare parts and service. Thus in July, another order was issued to put all future contracts on hold and to go ahead with the inquiry. The buck stops with those who took the decision. There was a transaction and the government was trying to identify the person who has taken the bribe. Those who could influence the decision making process would get the bribe, he said.
