New Delhi, July 11: The Europe-based Hinduja brothers today asserted before the Delhi High Court that the money received by them from Bofors in 1986 was not connected with the 155mm Howitzer gun deal. During arguments on Hindujas' appeal against the special court order framing charges against them in the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case, their counsel Ram Jethmalani told Justice J D Kapoor that the money was actually paid by Bofors under a counter-trade agreement the Swedish company had with them since 1979.
He claimed there was nothing on record to connect the Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand - with the Rs 1437 crore gun deal. The accused brothers requested the court to quash the charges of criminal conspiracy and abetment of corruption framed by special judge Prem Kumar in November last year in connection with the 155mm Howitzer gun supply contract awarded to Swedish arms manufacturer A B Bofors in 1986.
Jethmalani submitted that the trial court wrongly concluded that the accused brothers received the money for some public servants while the fact was that the money was never transferred from their account. In its supplementary chargesheet filed in October, 2000, CBI accused the Hinduja brothers of receiving illegal commissions from Bofors in violation of terms and conditions of the contract signed by the government with the Swedish arms manufacturer. Bureau Report