NEW DELHI, March 31: Former Prime Minister V P Singh has said that he is ready to ``divulge information in the Rs 420-crore HDW submarine scam''. Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh added that the investigation agency, the CBI, had not approached him so far. Singh, who was defence minister at the time of the deal, had resigned from the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet soon after.Last week, the CBI had in a six-page affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court through its SP Shyam Lal, who is also the Investigating Officer in the case, claimed to have seized a large number of documents and examined 65 persons, including seven suspects. It had, however, added that the German authorities were not prepared to voluntarily divulge any information, pleading business secrecy.
``Further investigation will depend on the response of German and Swiss authorities to the letters rogatory (LRs) sent by a special Delhi judge last month,'' the affidavit said.
The petitioner, B L Wadhera, had alleged that the CBI was notexamining V P Singh, who was defence minister at the time of the HDW deal and knew certain facts which would be vital for the case.
The former prime minister has now told The Indian Express: ``I am ready to divulge information which I have about the deal. I don't know why the CBI has not approached me. If the court directs, I am ready to divulge any information.
``I was the man who ordered an inquiry into the deal. Later, some differences cropped up between me and Rajiv Gandhi, who had reportedly placed the order and finally I had to resign from the post,'' Singh said.
According to the CBI affidavit, former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar had complained to the CBI, alleging payment of money to public servant/agents in the award of the contract for purchase of submarines and torpedoes to two firms in West Germany in 1981.
The agency submitted its report on February 17, 1988, and also registered a case on March 5, 1990 under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former additional defencesecretary S S Sidhu, defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, former director of Submarine Arm and OSD/SSK, Naval Headquarters, M Kondath, former additional financial advisor, Ministry of Defence, B S Ramaswamy, former vice chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral M R Schunker, Gopi Chand Hinduja and other concerned directors, employees and agents of M/s Howaldtswerere Deutsche Werft (HDW), M/s Allgememine Elektricitats Gesellschaft-Telefunken (AEG-Telefunken) -- both in West Germany -- and M/s Roger Enterprise (P) Limited in New Delhi.
``To arrive at a logical conclusion about the allegations, the CBI issued LRs in June 1990,'' the affidavit said, adding, ``but the German authorities have not found any clues regarding criminal offence against German nationals and closed the request. They were not prepared to even give any information voluntarily, claiming business secrecy,'' the affidavit adds.
On January 20, 1998, a fresh LR was issued by a Delhi court which was handed over to the German authorities on February 3,1998.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
