BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday urged Defence Minister AK Antony to put the purchase proceedings of Dassault Rafale fighter jets on hold, in the wake of arrest of the company chief in France for bribery charges.
In his letter to Antony, Swamy said the Ministry should seek the full details from France on the arrest of Serge Dassault, the head of the company which was selected to deliver 126 fighter jets to Indian Air Force.
“French police had arrested Dassault Aviation Head for a bribery charge. Dassault has entered into a controversial deal to sell Rafale fighter jets for the IAF. Since the reports appeared in media brings prima facie the issue of a scam in the Rafael deal also, I urge you to put the deal on a hold till the Defence Ministry gets the full details, and takes a view on whether the deal should reach closure or not,” said Swamy.
The Indian Air Force is entering in the last leg of negations with Dassault Rafale for the supply of 126 fighter aircrafts. This deal considered as the world’s largest tender is worth for 12 billion dollar.
Previous week, the billionaire industrialist, who is also a Senator was arrested by French Police for the charges of bribery and money laundering. The case initiated initially against him for “buying votes” in a Mayoral election. Serge Dassault came onto the radar of enforcement agencies after the new regime in France took charge. He belongs to the party of former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to The Guardian newspaper, “In 1998 Serge Dassault received a two-year suspended prison sentence in Belgium for bribing members of the Socialist party to win an army helicopter contract.”