CWG scam: Bhanot, Verma in 5-day CBI custody

Former top CWG Organising Committee officials Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma were today remanded in CBI custody for five days in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 107 crore deal with a Swiss firm.

"Both the accused are remanded in five-day CBI custody," special judge Talwant Singh said.

The CBI submitted before the court that both the accused persons, both close aides of former OC chief Suresh Kalmadi, abused their official position and awarded the contract to Switzerland-based firm Swiss Timing Ltd at exorbitant rates of approximately Rs 107 cr, thereby causing a huge loss to the government.

Bhanot, former Secretary-General of the OC, and Verma, ex-Director General of the OC, were arrested yesterday by the agency.

"Accused Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma, during the relevant period, were among the functionary and key personnel in the OC and were deeply involved and instrumental in allotment of contract for Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) System to Swiss Timing in a pre-planned and pre-mediated manner at an exorbitant rate," the agency said in its remand application while seeking seven-day custody.

The investigative agency further said that the accused have remained "evasive and non-cooperative" and that they were not revealing the true facts and circumstances of the criminal conspiracy.

Opposing the plea for CBI custody, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, appearing for Bhanot, said that his client had no role in awarding the contract to the Swiss firm.

He questioned the registration of the FIR on the basis of which Bhanot and Verma were arrested and said the same was "totally bogus" and based on untrue and incomplete facts.

Appearing for Verma, senior advocate Aman Lekhi also contended that the FIR was "wholly scripted".

Senior Public Prosecutor V K Sharma, who represented the CBI, told the court that the agency has done the preliminary inquiry and arrested both the accused (Bhanot and Verma) only after procuring some relevant documents.