Weeks after the Ministry of Defence banned it, Rheinmetall Air Defence AG of Switzerland (RAD) said the March 5 decision was based on allegations that were “false and entirely without merit.”
The company said it was yet to be informed by the Indian authorities of the details of the charges. “Transparency with regard to investigations would enable RAD to put forward conclusive evidence that will refute all claims made against it,” a company release said. It underscored the firm's keenness to cooperate with the Indian authorities and to assist in any investigation related to the company.
The company insisted that its employees “invariably” behaved in a correct, law-abiding manner and had made this clear to the Indian authorities in meetings, in which RAD underpinned its position with comprehensive documentation. Its employees in India, like in other countries, were subject to the company's stringent compliance regulations and adhered to them.
ADVERTISEMENT
Besides Zurich-based RAD, Israel's IMI, Corporation Defence of Russia and Singapore Technologies Kinetics and two Indian firms were debarred for 10 years by the Defence Ministry for their alleged involvement in an ordnance factory scam.