Prashant Bhushan invokes Scorpene ghost in Rafale deal

Claims same defence supplier involved with 2005 deal given contract for fighter jets

Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav of the newly launched Swaraj Abhiyan party on Thursday alleged they had received evidence against defence officers and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian, who allegedly leaked sensitive information to middlemen involved in the purchase of six Scorpène submarines for Rs 18,000 crore from Thales.

Bhushan said Edmonds Allen, the whistleblower in the Scorpène case, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, accusing one Abhishek Verma of providing the BJP parliamentarian with foreign escorts and taking his picture in comprising positions for information. Allen was once a business partner of Verma, currently out on bail and facing trial in the Navy War Room Leak case.

Bhushan said the commission paid to the middlemen in the Scorpène deal was four per cent. Indian laws prohibit involvement of middlemen in any defence deal.

Bhushan said the government should have blacklisted Thales. “But it gave the contract of Rafale jets worth Rs 58,000 crore to Dassault, which controls Thales. The press release by Thales describes this company as a member of the Rafale team. The chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Thales, Patrice Caine, was present with the CEO of Dassault for the signing ceremony of Rafale deal in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar,” Bhushan said.

He said it seemed kickbacks had been paid in the Rafale deal and the government should come clean on the price negotiations for the fighter aircrafts from the beginning till date.

“The government should order an FIR against Verma and Thales for payment of commission in Scorpène deal and another FIR against Verma and the officers of Navy and Air Force for leaking defence secrets,” Bhushan demanded.

Verma and Thales couldn’t be reached for comments.