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The Enforcement Directorate is probing the alleged cash inflow of about Rs 170 crore into Indian companies in connection with the supply of Tatra trucks to the Army.
The agency has recently sent judicial requests to the UK and Hong Kong in connection with a money laundering probe.
The alleged cash inflow was received by five Indian companies through three banks, according to the agency sources.
The agency has dispatched the requests, called Letters Rogatory (LRs) in judicial terminology, after a special court here recently allowed its plea in this regard.
Money laundering
The ED had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in April last year against Vectra Chairman Ravi Rishi and few other firms after former Army Chief Gen V.K. Singh had alleged that he was offered a Rs 14-crore bribe in September 2010 to clear the purchase of a tranche of 1,676 Tatra trucks for the Army.
Letters Rogatory
According to sources, LRs have been sent to the UK as Tatra Sipox is based there. Rishi is a director of the firm. LRs have also been sent to Hong Kong as Venus Projects, which held substantial shares (50 per cent till 2009) in Tatra Sipox, is based there.
The ED is probing the company structure, business dealings in India and across the globe and the share holding patterns of these firms for which the LRs have been dispatched, they said.
It has also been probing the dealings of executives of Tatra Sipox with the officials of the Defence Ministry and the Army, the sources said.
LRs to the two countries have also sought information on banking transactions and other regular business filings of the firms available with the respective regulatory bodies there, they said.
Defence procurement rules
The CBI has alleged that Tatra Sipox, UK, signed the truck supply deal with defence PSU Bharat Earth Movers Ltd which was in alleged violation of defence procurement rules. The rules state that procurement should be done directly from original equipment manufacturer only.
It has alleged that since Tatra Sipox, UK, was not the original manufacturer of these all-terrain trucks, the rule that defence procurements should be made from original manufacturer was allegedly violated.
On its part, the ED is looking into the transactions carried out by Tatra Sipox, UK, in countries like Slovakia, Czech Republic and Lichtenstein.
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