Two years after the Central Bureau of Investigation began investigations into bunglings worth over Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) in the Caribjet deal of Air-India, the agency finally registered a case against managing director of the country's flag carrier J N Gogoi, two of his predecessors and 11 others.
CBI sources said on Tuesday that a regular case had been filed against Gogoi, his predecessors Michael Mascarenhas and Brijesh Kumar and commercial manager (northern India) Captain A K Mathur for allegedly causing loss of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) to A-I.
The deal involved purchase of seven aircraft on wet lease from Caribjet Inc, a company registered in the Caribbean Islands in 1994 and 1996 for a period of two years.
The CBI had been investigating the case and its Anti Corruption Branch in Mumbai had registered a prelimnary enquiry against unknown A-I officials in 2001.
When contacted, Gogoi, who was recently given an extension of six months as managing director, told PTI in Mumbai, "I was in no way involved in any selection or suggestion of the Caribjet deal."
The CBI has registered the case under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) under Indian Penal Code and various other provisions of Pervention of Corruption Act.
The CBI has alleged faulty negotiations in the first agreement with Caribjet company in 1994, when Kumar was the managing director, and claimed a bungling of Rs 3.35 crore (Rs 33.5 million).
The CBI alleged that the carrier suffered another loss of Rs 103 crore (Rs 1.03 billion) as it had to pay the damages after the deal between A-I and Caribjet went into arbitration at London in 1997.
The CBI claimed that the crucial termination clause, which is a safeguard for every buyer for any unsatisfactory performance, was not incorporated in the contract. The agency claimed that such a clause was present in all other deals. The CBI alleged that the conspicous missing of the clause was a virtual surrender by A-I to Caribjet company.
Former managing director Michael Mascarenhas has also been named in the case as one of the accused. It may be mentioned that he had also faced an enquiry into alleged undue incentives to a private tour operator in London.
However, after a thorough probe by CBI, Mascarenhas was then given a clean chit by the agency and he was reinstated as managing director for two days on November 28, 2001. His wife, Aruna, presently deputy manging director at A-I had also been named by the agency.
The CBI has alleged that while Mascarenhas was the commercial director at the time of the deal, Gogoi, Aruna and Mathur were members of the committee which had screened the proposal.
