Under attack over alleged inaction on corruption charges, Government today said Defence Minister A. K. Antony had asked the Secretary, Defence Production, to look into a complaint over alleged irregularities in the purchase of vehicles by State-owned BEML in 2009.
“Records show that the vigilance wings of Ministry of Defence and BEML are examining the matter and there are also correspondence between the CBI and the Chief Vigilance Officer of BEML on these allegations,” an official release said.
The release also claimed that Mr. Antony’s sanction for a CBI investigation into a case relating to BEML was given on February 21, 2012, much before Army Chief Gen.V.K. Singh alleged that a lobbyist had offered him Rs. 14 crore as bribe for clearing a deal for the purchase of “sub-standard” vehicles of a particular make for the Army.
In 2009, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had forwarded the complaint of D. Hanumanthapa, President of the Karnataka wing of All India Federation of SC, ST, Backward Class, Minority Employees Welfare Association, on BEML to Mr. Antony.
