NEW DELHI: Even as retired Lt General Tejinder Singh denied in a lower court in Delhi that he had offered any bribe to Army Chief General V K Singh, the CBI on Tuesday received a ‘detailed’ written complaint from the Army Chief pertaining to the said `14 crore bribe offer he allegedly received to clear procurement of 600 Tatra trucks.
Tejinder Singh had filed a criminal defamation suit in a Magistrate’s court in Delhi against the Army Chief and four others in connection with the bribe allegations he has been labelled with.
The Army Chief, in an interview, had said a “lobbyist’ who just “retired” from the services had offered him the bribe. It is, however, Defence Minister A K Antony, who identified Tejinder Singh by name during a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha right after the publication of Army Chief’s interview.
There is a possibility that the Magistrate’s court may summon the Army Chief in connection with the case.
Within hours of Tejinder Singh’s court deposition, the CBI received the much-anticipated ‘detailed written complaint’ from General Singh.
The investigating agency had been waiting for it for the past 10 days.
The CBI has, now, sought legal assistance from Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati.
CBI sources revealed that the agency may soon register a preliminary inquiry (PE) in the matter.
Once a PE is registered, the CBI can examine the people in connection with the issue “for getting vital inputs.”