Fugitive Sanjay Bhandari sues Thales over 'unpaid commission' for UPA-era deal
Bhandari, who fled to the UK after several investigative agencies were behind him in connection of receiving kickbacks, alleged that he helped Thales in arranging meetings with senior officials in the Indian government for the contract of Mirage fighter aircraft up-gradation programme in 2008.
FollowFrench arms firm Thales has been sued for non-payment of commission worth Rs 167 crore at a Parisian court by Robert Vadra’s close aide and fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who had claimed that he helped fix a deal during the United Progressive Alliance government's tenure
Bhandari, who fled to the UK after several investigative agencies were behind him in connection of receiving kickbacks, alleged that he helped Thales in arranging meetings with senior officials in the Indian government for the contract of Mirage fighter aircraft up-gradation programme in 2008. As per a report published in a British newspaper, the fugitive arms dealer claimed that he was only paid Rs 75 crore of the promised Rs 167 crore consultancy fees.Â
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph has raised apprehensions that the revelation or the court case could jeopardise the future sales of Rafale fighter jets. Thales has supplied avionics for France-based Dassault Aviation that makes Rafale aircraft.
According to the report, Bhandari has asked the French court to order Thales to pay up the remaining commission of Rs 92 crore. However, the French company has denied the allegations. It is pertinent to mention here that his allegations come amidst the Rafale maritime aircraft is testing its combat capabilities in Goa for Indian Navy’s Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant, which headed out for its third sea sortie on Sunday. India had issued a request for information in 2017 to procure 57 multi-role combat jets for its aircraft carrier.Â
Bhandari is wanted in India under the Officials Secrets Act. He fled to the United Kingdom via Nepal in 2016 and applied for political asylum. India has sought his extradition and the hearing will start on February 21 in London.Â
Investigation agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax department, and Delhi Police are behind him in the cases of money laundering, violation of the foreign exchange, black money and the Official Secrets Act.
Citing the court paper, the British newspaper noted Bhandari claims that Thales paid him through 'an elaborate financial covert scheme in India and Dubai which enabled the payment of secret commissions to intermediaries. Bhandari claimed that a special subsidiary called Thales Middle East and Africa was used to deploy these financial structures. He also claimed that he received a commission from Thales via a Dubai-based firm called UHY Saxena Consulting.
Thales reacts
Responding to queries from Asiante Newsable, Thales firmly denied Bhandari's claims regarding the sums allegedly due or any other payments to him by Thales SA. Thales further said that it never signed a contract with Bhandari or his companies in connection with this project.
Stating that the company complied with the law and applied a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and influence peddling, Thales said that the group's integrity programme is regularly evaluated and amended to reflect changes in applicable legislation and best practices.
Who is Sanjay Bhandari?
Bhandari is a close aide of senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra and an alleged arms dealer, who escaped to the United Kingdom after the Narendra Modi-led government began tightening the screws on the arms dealers.Â
According to the charge sheet filed by the ED, he received kickbacks in a 2009 petroleum deal and a 2010 defence deal. The agency had also found that he had helped Robert Vadra in purchasing a property in the United Kingdom. In 2019, the government had snapped business tie-ups with his firms and also blacklisted them.Â
Chronology of Bhandari’s case
In February and April 2016, the Income Tax department conducted a raid at his Delhi residence and recovered secret documents of the defence ministry. Raids were also conducted at his associates' offices and premises. The Delhi Police filed an FIR in this connection.Â
The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the recovery of secret documents of the defence minister in October 2017. In December 2016, he fled to Nepal and from there he escaped to the UK. In February 2017, the Enforcement Directorate booked him for alleged possession of undisclosed assets abroad. In June 2020 it filed a charge sheet against him.Â
A trial court in January 2018 declared him as a proclaimed offender. The High Court set the order aside in July 2018.Â
In July 2020, the ED filed another case of money laundering against him in a Rs 6,744-crore deal by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. He was arrested on an extradition warrant in London. But he bailed out subsequently.
