Speaking on AgustaWestland scam, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government is committed to uncovering who was bribed.
Highlights
- "The notings in diaries are enough reason to suspect," Mr Jaitley said.
- He said the government is now committed to uncovering who was bribed.
- He also said the government does not want to target anyone in particular
By deriding new suggestions that its top leaders were part of the
AgustaWestland helicopter scam, the Congress is "giving rise to a second suspicion that the cap fits", said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to NDTV.
Parliament today debated the Agusta scandal - a deal for helicopters worth 3,600-crores was acquired through bribes in 2010 by the Anglo-Italian firm.
Before the Congress was removed from power, it accepted that bribes were paid, cancelled the deal, and ordered a CBI inquiry, which has made no headway.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said today in Parliament that the investigation will focus on the names mentioned in an Italian court which has just convicted Agusta executives for corruption.
The names are a roster of the
Congress' most powerful leaders including president Sonia Gandhi. The Congress says the notes of middlemen that mention her and her colleagues are loose talk. But "the notings in diaries are enough reason to suspect" wrongdoing, said the Finance Minister to NDTV, adding that the Italian trial and verdict are "a good ground and launching pad for a proper investigation".
He also said that while the government "is clear there is no one in particular we want to target", it's now committed to uncovering who was bribed. "Bribe givers have been convicted, transactions cancelled, middlemen on both sides identified-who received the benefit is the only question," the minister said.
"I am not saying we have enough proof to nail somebody yet," he said.