The Intelligence Bureau has withheld clearance to former Air Vice Chief DC Kumaria for appointment as a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Mumbai following presence of a large number of vendors at a farewell party organised in his honour last month.
The IB has widened the probe and is investigating the meetings held between Kumaria and the vendors. The inquiry will ascertain the details of such meetings. Kumaria retired from service on Sunday.
The IB mounted surveillance on the farewell party held at India Habitat Centre on June 7 following receipt of inputs suggesting that foreign defence firms were paying bribes through conduits to have meetings with people holding high ranks in the services.
Closed door and private seminars sponsored by the vendors and attended by serving service officials are also under the scrutiny of the agency.
Representatives of foreign vendors who attended the controversial farewell party included Boeing India head Dennis Swanson, Air Vice Marshal D Ganesh of Honeywell, Seema Siddiqui of Dassault Systems besides Eric leseigne and Suvendu Banerjee of Thales. Dassault Systems is presently in negotiations with the Defence Ministry for supply of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.
The Armed Forces Tribunal is comprised of a retired judge and a retired service official as administrative members. The Indian Air Force had recommended Kumaria’s name for appointment as an administrative member of the AFT, Mumbai. Clearance of the IB is required for appointment to the AFT.
Following the controversial party sponsored by the vendors, the IB had written to the Defence Ministry citing presence of Kumaria at the farewell party organised in his honour where a number of vendors were present. Besides, the representatives of vendors, three other serving air vice marshals were also present at the party.
The agency also issued an advisory to prevent hobnobbing between arms dealers and senior service officials so as to maintain transparency and probity in defence procurement.
According to the code of conduct for officials, the presence of senior service officials at a private party sponsored by defence majors was in contravention of service conduct rules. The rules bar officials from attending private parties. Attendance of senior officials in such a party has alarmed the agencies as a number of retired officers have joined foreign vendors after retirement.