Bofors scam: CBI seeks US assistance in 64 cr Scam, sends judicial request
Bofors scam: CBI seeks US assistance in 64 cr Scam, sends judicial request
Digital Desk: The Bofors scam undergoes a major development after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) issued a Letter of Rogatory (LR) to the United States, requesting information from private investigator Michael Hershman about the Rs 64 crore Bofors bribery case.
Officials stated that the request was made in February 2025, after several attempts to gather information through official channels offered no results.
Hershman, the head of Fairfax Group, visited India in 2017 and said that the then-Congress administration stalled the inquiry into the Bofors issue.
He stated that he was appointed by India's Finance Ministry in 1986 to examine currency control violations and money laundering, some of which were related to the Bofors trade. He also indicated a willingness to exchange information with Indian officials.
The CBI requested pertinent documents from the Finance Ministry about Hershman's engagement but was informed that such records were not available due to the case's age.
In 2023 and 2024, the agency also appealed through Interpol and made several petitions to US authorities, but it never heard back. The agency moved on with the formal LR request to US authorities in January 2025 after receiving approval from the Home Ministry and then a special court in February.
In the 1986–1987 Bofors case, Swedish arms firm AB Bofors is accused of paying bribes to Indian defense officials and politicians to obtain a contract for the sale of 400 Howitzer field guns.
The topic became a huge political crisis for the Rajiv Gandhi-led government and has been a source of contention over the years.
The CBI filed the case in 1990, three years after a Swedish radio station first publicized the bribery claims. While charges were filed in 1999 and 2000, the Delhi High Court rejected all charges in 2005 due to a lack of evidence.
The CBI contested the verdict in 2018, but the Supreme Court dismissed the petition due to a delay. However, the agency was allowed to express its concerns in an existing appeal filed in 2005 by counsel Ajay Aggarwal.
