No action on corrupt officials, firms in IACCS tenders graft case

With the CBI now filing an FIR in the case, after intervention from the PMO, officials are hoping that the agency will now start an inquiry into the corruption.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The registration of the First Investigation Report (FIR) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged multiple level corruption in the Rs 7,900 crore Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS) project of the Indian Air Force has brought the spotlight on another alleged corruption that took place in the same project in 2015-16, but which was buried by a few corrupt officers with the Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL).

While the CBI inquiry is presently dealing with the corruption that took place in awarding the civil contracts of the said project, an inquiry by then Chief Vigilance Officer of BEL (CVO) had found that similar high-level corruption was indulged by BEL employees while procuring software for the same project. The Sunday Guardian has accessed a copy of the inquiry report prepared by the then CVO of BEL, S. Shiva Kumar, which was shared with the then Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) Asit Gopal on 24 November 2016 that revealed this corruption.

The said 9-page report, despite clearly elaborating in detail the level of corruption that took place in the project, was never acted upon. Before being transferred, the CVO repeated his recommendations with the top level of BEL in April 2018, urging them to take action against the accused BEL officers, but despite that, no action was ever taken. With time, both Kumar and Gopal moved away from their respective positions.

Later, a whistle-blower in the case, Bhupesh Sharma, who was working as a manager with BEL, too wrote to the Ministry of Defence and the CVC in June 2019, apprising them about the said corruption that was done to favour an American company but then also no action was taken.