New Delhi:
VRS Natarajan, the chief of the defence-run public sector unit BEML has been requested to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday in connection with the Tatra-Army deal case. The investigation agency wants Mr Natarajan, who is not an accused in the case, to clarify his stand on certain decisions that were taken by the BEML while signing memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Tatra.
Tatra is a Czech-manufacturer. It is owned by Vectra, a London-based company, which supplies parts to BEML, which is based in Bangalore. The trucks are assembled at BEML and sold to the Army. Army Chief General VK Singh had disclosed last month that he was offered a bribe to clear "sub-standard" trucks, which brought the Tatra deals with the Army under scanner. The Army has bought 7000 Tatra trucks since 1986.
The CBI is pursuing two different cases on the Tatra deals. One relates to the purchase of the 7000 trucks. The other looks at a new consignment of more than 700 trucks that Vectra was allegedly trying to push through. In the former, the CBI has allegedly been granted permission by the Defence Ministry to prosecute Mr Natarajan.
Mr Natarajan had earlier denied that he ever received complaints about either the acquisition or the performance of Tatra trucks. He said he could not understand why the Army Chief might think of them as "sub-standard".