06 January,2011 08:17 AM IST | | Mohit Sharma
The CWG 2010 Organising Committee chief was grilled for about nine hours by the investigating agency regarding alleged financial irregularities in conducting the sports event
When the world applauded Commonwealth Games 2010, the chairman of the Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi who had a smile on his face, probably wouldn't have thought that a few months later he would be grilled by half-a-dozen CBI sleuths.
Let the games begin! Chief Organiser of the New Delhi Commonwealth
Games, Suresh Kalmadi arrives at the Central Bureau of Investigation
office in New Delhi on Wednesday. Pic/Imtiyaz Khan
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Kalmadi, who reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at about 10 am on Wednesday, was questioned for nine long hours and left the premises at about 6.30 pm.
"He was questioned about financial irregularities in the Queen's Baton Relay held in London and faced a questionnaire consisting of about fifty questions," a senior CBI official said.u00a0 CBI sources said that Kalmadi was asked about details of the procedure which was followed in awarding certain contracts and how the money was paid. Officers of the investigating agency had earlier raided Kalmadi's Delhi and Pune residences to look for documents and evidence in connection with three FIRs which they have lodged.
The agency had earlier alleged that there were discrepancies regarding certain contracts that were awarded to various firms totalling several hundred crores.
"He was questioned extensively on the procedures followed by the OC in assigning contracts," sources stated.
Kalmadi was also reportedly asked about the Organising Committee's coordination and involvement with other civic agencies during and before the Commonwealth Games.
"We have recovered a few documents and vital leads from raids which we had conducted at his residences and we asked questions based on those documents and clues which we gathered during our probe," sources said.
However, according to reports, some crucial documents, which could throw light on the Games deals, have gone missing.
The probe agencies fear that they may have either been destroyed or hidden. Sources said CBI officials have
found sufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy by unidentified OC officials by allegedly tampering with documents and manipulating information in them.
| His 'friends' |
| CBI officials have grilled Kalmadi's three key aides in connection with the scam. The sources said Manoj Bhori, political advisor to OC head and P K Srivastava and A K Sinha, both assistants to Kalmadi, were also called for interrogation. Besides Kalmadi, the CBI had also conducted raids at the residences of OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot, RK Sacheti, who is Joint Director General of the OC, and Sangeeta Welingkar, member of the Games Image and Look Group. The agency has so far filed three FIRs in connection with the alleged financial irregularities. While one case is related to a Rs 107-crore deal struck with a Swiss scorekeeping firm, the CBI had registered two other FIRs in connection with the contract given to AM Films for the Baton Relay ceremonies by the OC in London.u00a0 |
