ED notices to firms linked to arms dealer

The Enforcement Directorate has issued notices to firms linked to Indian arms dealer Sudhir Choudhrie in connection with its foreign exchange violations probe in a 16-year-old case emerging out of alleged payment of kickbacks for providing field guns to the army and certain other defence deals.

Official sources said the ED has sought documents and financial statements of firms linked to Mr Choudhrie as part of its probe in the case registered under Foreign Exchange Management Act.

One of the notices issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) relates to a case in which a Delhi Court in 2011 had directed the agency to probe the “receipt of commission” to Choudhrie and others.

The court then accepted the CBI’s closure report in the case registered after a sting operation alleged that the upgrade of Army’s 130 mm field guns involved payment of $1,56,940 in kickbacks. The court gave clean chit to Mr Choudhrie while asking ED to probe further.

CBI had registered a case in July 2004 against erstwhile Samata Party’s national treasurer R K Jain, also the director of Magnum International Trading Co Ltd (MITCO), Choudhrie and unknown public servants of the Ministry of Defence and the army for alleged cheating and corruption by entering into criminal conspiracy to award the contract for upgrading of 130 mm field guns to 155 mm by importing 185 kits costing Rs 208.15 crore to Israeli firm Soltam Limited.