New Delhi:
The Prime minister has cleared union minister Praful Patel of allegations that he took a kickback when he was Civil Aviation Minister from a businessman based in Canada hoping to supply security equipment to Air India.
Dr Manmohan Singh has written to Mr Patel, who is currently the union minister for Heavy Industries, informing him that the Canadian government will also be told that the charges against Mr Patel have been investigated and found to be untrue.
The controversy erupted after a report in a Canadian newspaper about a businessman of Indian origin who is to be prosecuted under a law that bans Canadian citizens from bribing foreign public officials. Nazi Karigar's trial is scheduled to begin in September, according to the Globe and Mail. After the report was published earlier this month, Mr Patel had written to the PM, asking him to help clear his name.
Mr Karigar, according to the case against him, alleged that he had routed a bribe of $250,000 to Mr Patel when the politician was Minister for Civil Aviation.
In 2005, Mr Karigar wanted to land a contract worth 100 million dollars to supply security equipment based on facial recognition to Air India. He offered to help a company with offices in Canada and New York win the contract; and to this end, bribes were allegedly paid by the company to Air India officials, according to the investigators handling the case. They also say that Mr Karigar passed on $250,000 to a political associate of Mr Patel's, money that Mr Karigar said was meant for the minister. But there is no evidence, the investigators have said, to show that the money was passed on to Mr Patel. Air India eventually dropped its plans to buy the equipment on offer.
According to the Globe and Mail, the investigation by Canadian authorities began when Mr Karigar in 2007 reportedly told a Canadian diplomat in Mumbai that a bribe had been paid to Mr Patel.
Because the company who Mr Karigar represented had offices in New York, the FBI is also involved in the case against him.
Dr Manmohan Singh has written to Mr Patel, who is currently the union minister for Heavy Industries, informing him that the Canadian government will also be told that the charges against Mr Patel have been investigated and found to be untrue.
The controversy erupted after a report in a Canadian newspaper about a businessman of Indian origin who is to be prosecuted under a law that bans Canadian citizens from bribing foreign public officials. Nazi Karigar's trial is scheduled to begin in September, according to the Globe and Mail. After the report was published earlier this month, Mr Patel had written to the PM, asking him to help clear his name.
Mr Karigar, according to the case against him, alleged that he had routed a bribe of $250,000 to Mr Patel when the politician was Minister for Civil Aviation.
In 2005, Mr Karigar wanted to land a contract worth 100 million dollars to supply security equipment based on facial recognition to Air India. He offered to help a company with offices in Canada and New York win the contract; and to this end, bribes were allegedly paid by the company to Air India officials, according to the investigators handling the case. They also say that Mr Karigar passed on $250,000 to a political associate of Mr Patel's, money that Mr Karigar said was meant for the minister. But there is no evidence, the investigators have said, to show that the money was passed on to Mr Patel. Air India eventually dropped its plans to buy the equipment on offer.
According to the Globe and Mail, the investigation by Canadian authorities began when Mr Karigar in 2007 reportedly told a Canadian diplomat in Mumbai that a bribe had been paid to Mr Patel.
Because the company who Mr Karigar represented had offices in New York, the FBI is also involved in the case against him.
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