First chargesheet in CWG likely tomorrow, Kalmadi may figure

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may file the first chargesheet in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam tomorrow against Suresh Kalmadi and other former officials of the Organising Committee with the agency claiming to have enough evidence to nail them for alleged bunglings in a Rs 141 crore contract.

The agency may name sacked OC chairman Kalmadi along with the then officials; Secretary General Lalit Bhanot, Director General VK Verma, Deputy Director General (procurement) Surjeet Lal besides beneficiary company Swiss Timing for allegedly inflating the cost of contract causing Rs 95 crore loss to exchequer, top CBI sources said.

The CBI had claimed in its FIR that the contract for Timing Scoring and Results system was awarded by "wrongfully restricting and eliminating competition" from other suppliers in a pre-meditated and planned manner.

The CBI is also likely to send Letters Rogatory to Switzerland seeking details about beneficiary company Swiss Timing from local authorities after the first set of charges are levelled in the case, they said.

According to sources, the sleuths have found details of an alleged bribe of Rs 23 crore which exchanged hands for awarding the contract for framing the eligibility requirements in such a way that competing firms may be sidelined.

The agency has to file the chargesheet before May 23 as the 90-day mandatory period for levelling charges against Bhanot and Verma, arrested on February 23, will be getting over making the duo eligible for bail. Kalmadi was arrested on April 25.

Sources said Indian representatives of Swiss Timing were in constant touch with Kalmadi and other officials of the OC much before the tender was floated.

The contract worth Rs.141 crore was awarded for setting up Timing Scoring and Results system during the mega sporting event last year.

It is alleged that the Committee for shortlisting prospective bidders for TSR was constituted by selecting handpicked officials, CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra had said after the arrest of Kalmadi.

Investigation has also revealed that members of the tenders evaluation committee were coerced and threatened to disqualify other bidders, she had said.

The agency has registered 11 FIRs in the cases related to CWG scam.