New Delhi, July 18: The Europe-based Hinduja brothers today claimed before the Delhi High Court that the CBI had nothing to suggest that they had conspired with the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to get the Rs 1437 crore Howitzer gun deal awarded to A B Bofors in March 1986. "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to suggest that the Hinduja brothers had entered into a conspiracy with Rajiv Gandhi or any other public servant to secure the gun contract for the Swedish arms manufacturer," Hindujas' counsel Ram Jethmalani told Justice J D Kapoor.
The Hindujas brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and prakashchand - have challenged the November 2002 order of special judge Prem Kumar framing charges against them in the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.
Yesterday, Jethmalani had ridiculed the special judge's suspicion that the 81 million Swedish Kroner (Rs 14 crore) received by the Hindujas from Bofors was meant for Rajiv Gandhi and claimed the money was actually paid to the accused by Bofors under a counter-trade agreement the Swedish company had with them since 1979. He charged the trial court with deliberately ignoring vital piece of evidence that proved this point.
He further contended that the deal was actually finalised following two meetings Gandhi had with the then Swedish Premier Olof Palme - in October 1985 in New York and in January 1986 here. The deal was signed on March 24, 1986. In its supplementary chargesheet filed in October, 2000, CBI accused the Hindujas of receiving illegal money from Bofors in violation of terms and conditions of the contract signed by the government with the Swedish company. Bureau Report