There was a stunned silence on Tuesday from all stakeholders to the revelation that hundreds of crores was paid to the firms controlled by the alleged arms dealer, Sudhir Choudhrie, by British and Russian defence companies to swing deals.
Defence Ministry mumWhile the Defence Ministry declined to comment, the Russian Embassy did not respond to questions on the issue.
Rolls-Royce refused to comment on the specific issue, but said in a statement that they “have zero tolerance to bribery and corruption” and could not comment on the ongoing investigations.
Secret documents accessed by the BBC and The Guardian , and shared exclusively with The Hindu, reveal details of millions of dollars paid by several foreign defence companies to an alleged Choudhrie and his family.
“Concerns about bribery and corruption involving intermediaries remain subject to investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and other authorities. We are fully cooperating with the authorities and we cannot comment on ongoing investigations,” a Rolls-Royce spokesperson said in the statement.
Observing that it is for the SFO or other investigating authorities and not Rolls-Royce to comment upon the scope and nature of the allegations they are investigating, the spokesperson added,
“Our decision not to comment on any allegation or claim put to us is not an admission or confirmation,” the statement said.
Under the scannerOfficials said Mr. Choudhrie’s role was already being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a 2014 case concerning the Rolls-Royce engine deal.
The documents show details of remittances of almost €100 million (about Rs. 730 crore) in just 12 months by Russian arms firms into accounts of companies controlled by Mr. Choudhrie, his family and close associates; and about £10 million paid by Rolls-Royce to firms linked to him.
