NEW DELHI, December 23: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has requested the Government for approval to sanction the prosecution of two former top executives of the National Fertiliser Limited (NFL) in the Rs 133 crore urea scam. The names of the two officials -- managing director C K Ramakrishnan and executive director D S Kanwar -- figure among the main accused in the scam.

CBI sources said today that the letter for the sanction of prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which was sent yesterday to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and the Department of Personnel, paves the way for the filing of the charge sheet against the accused in the urea scam, including the two top officials of the public sector enterprise.

The CBI has also sought the Government's sanction for the prosecution of a few junior-level officials of the NFL.

The sources said that the charge sheet was finalised last week and was likely to be filed in the next few days. The agency has decided not to wait for the Government's approval for prosecution and go ahead with the filing of the charge sheet in the court.

According to the CBI, Ramakrishnan and Kanwar were instrumental in signing the Rs 133 crore deal on behalf of NFL with Turkish firm Karsan for the supply of 200,000 metric tonne urea in November, 1995. The deal was allegedly signed without adhering to basic safeguards such as floating global tenders or checking the credentials of the firm. The NFL also agreed to full advance payment without obtaining a Performance Guarantee Bond and payment through Letter of Credit.

The deal was brokered by Sambasiva Rao, Indian agent of Karsan Limited. The entire advance payment of Rs 133 crore was paid to Karsan's Swiss bank accounts without the supply of any urea to India. The two Karsan officials, Tunkay Alankus and Cihan Karanci, into whose Swiss bank accounts the sum was paid are at present in judicial custody.

CBI sources disclosed that another accused, Brazilian businessman E. Pinto, who was arrested by the police in London last week, was also going to be charge-sheeted pending his extradition to India. Pinto allegedly played a key role in brokering the urea deal and also received a substantial amount of the sum paid by NFL as kickbacks for his services.

A high-level team of CBI officials is going to leave for London soon with Pinto's extradition papers which will be submitted before the court there.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.