Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) Lalit Bhanot, the former secretary-general of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee, Friday told a special CBI court hearing a corruption case against him that the charges against him reflected the prejudice of the prosecution.

“As far as Bhanot is concerned, the charge sheet reflects total prejudice of the prosecution,” Bhanot’s counsel Ramesh Gupta told Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Talwant Singh.

Gupta’s argument came while opposing the corruption charges levelled against Bhanot over a contract for timing, scoring and results (TSR) system given to a Swiss firm.

Bhanot was part of the conspiracy for financial irregularities in organising the Commonwealth Games, the CBI alleged.

According to the prosecution, two bids were received for the TSR contract from Swiss Timing and MSL Spain and these were opened Nov 4, 2009, but former CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and his associate V.K. Verma had at a meeting Oct 12, 2009, announced that the contract would be awarded to Swiss Timing.

Bhanot, however, alleged that MSL Spain used forged documents in the bid, and the forms submitted by the company were not duly filled as a few columns were left blank.

The CBI in its first charge sheet in the case against Kalmadi and 10 others described him as a prime accused and the mastermind in the corruption case related to financial irregularities in awarding the Rs.141 crore contract for the scoring system.

The accused officials and two companies were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.