New Delhi, Nov 21: Delhi Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf's nomination from Ballimaran, which was cleared by the returning officer, has been challenged before the Election Commission. CBI counsel K N Sharma told Special Judge Dinesh Dayal at the specially set-up court room in the high-security Vigyan Bhavan here that had Rao, then the external affairs minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, not promised Pathak in the last week of December 1983 at hotel Hollorum House in New York, he would not have given the money to Chandraswami.
Rao had assured Pathak that "Swamiji has told me everything and Pathak your work would be done", Sharma said, adding that Chandraswami and his aide K N Agarwal alias Mamaji were also present at the hotel.
Sharma - a specially appointed public prosecutor for this case - contended that Chandrasawmi demanded Pathak to pay him USD 100,000 so that the same could be used to show Pathak's financial soundness to the Indian government and get the contract for supply of pulp paper and newsprint.
The total amount was given by Pathak to Chandraswami on January 04, 1984 through two cheques - USD 27,000 given by Pathak's son from his company Pathak Spices and USD 73,000 from Ethnic Food Company owned by one Rastogi, Sharma said.
Bureau Report