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Updated May 8th, 2019 at 15:12 IST

IMPACT: CBI seeks trial court records in Bofors case from SC, says new developments have come to light after Republic TV’s Michael Hershman interview

In a sensational development, the CBI has stated to the Rouse Avenue trial court in New Delhi its intention to begin trial in the decades-old Bofors case, highlighting that new developments have come to light owing to Republic TV's interview with Michael Hershman - the first Bofors secret investigator.

Reported by: Ankit Prasad
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In a sensational development, the CBI has stated to the Rouse Avenue trial court in New Delhi its intention to begin trial in the decades-old Bofors case, highlighting that new developments have come to light owing to Republic TV's interview with Michael Hershman - the first Bofors secret investigator.

The country's premier investigative agency has requested the trial court to formally write to the Supreme Court asking for the case files so that a trial can begin. In response, the court has said that it will first look into the legal aspects of doing so, and then decide on whether or not files from the apex court should be requested to decide on the facts of the matter. The case will be taken up for hearing on May 16.

The proceedings on Wednesday were in continuance of an application under section 173(A) that was filed on behalf of the CBI on February 1, 2018, when the agency had moved the Supreme Court challenging the 12-year-old Delhi High Court verdict closing the Bofors case regarding the 1986 deal between the then Rajiv Gandhi-led government of India and the Swedish company Bofors for the acquisition of 410 Howitzer field guns.

READ | UPA Stonewalled Bofors Probe - CBI Admits To Supreme Court. Read The Stunning Revelations Here

At that time, A-G KK Venugopal had been convinced to allow the CBI to file its appeal on the basis of new evidence including Republic TV's many Bofors investigations which involved Michael Hershman and Bofors Chief Investigator Sten Lindstrom who had made numerous and damning revelations. Some of the findings of those investigations are detailed here:

1. Allegations from Sten Lindstrom that then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then-Swedish premier Olof Palme discussed Bofors payments on a flight in 1986, and that the Bofors kickbacks were greater than previously reported.

2. Allegations by Fairfax group President Michael Hershman, the first Bofors secret investigator, that Rajiv Gandhi tried to silence his own minister for investigating the Bofors case, and that Hershman himself was offered bribes on three occasions after stumbling on the Bofors scam. Hershman also pointed to a Pakistan-link in the Bofors deal.

3. The diary entries of Martin Ardbo which raised serious questions regarding the alleged Gandhi-link to the Bofors scam.

4. A 15-page document showing how the Rajiv Gandhi government was working with Bofors bosses to ensure that the Parliament of India was kept in the dark about key specifics of the Bofors deal. 

5. Contents of the note that Madhav Singh Solanki, the then Minister of External Affairs in the Government of India, handed over to Swiss minister Phelber on February 1, 1992, at Davos, Switzerland. 

WATCH | Republic Super Exclusive: Michael Hershman, The Man Who Stumbled Upon Bofors scandal, Exposes The Then Congress Government

In October 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation had issued an official statement saying that the agency will be looking into the facts and circumstances as mentioned by Michael Hershman on Republic TV.

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Published May 8th, 2019 at 15:05 IST

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