Barak missile comes back to haunt Fernandes

New Delhi: Former defence minister and Janata Dal (United) leader George Fernandes could in for trouble in the Barak missile kickback case.

In an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Thursday, arms dealer Suresh Nanda asked why the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) never questioned Fernandes and his party colleague Jaya Jaitly in the case.

The Supreme Court has asked the CBI to give an explanation as to why Fernandes was never questioned.

CBI is also investigating the role of Suresh, who is the son of former Navy chief Admiral SM Nanda, in the case.

The apex court also restored Suresh's passport on Thursday. He is alleged to have received kickbacks in the Rs 1,125-crore defence deal with an Israeli firm.

CBI alleged kickbacks amounting to Rs 2 crore were paid in the Rs-1,125 crore deal in 2000 to buy seven Barak anti-missile defence systems from state-run Israel Aircraft Industries.

A FIR was filed by the CBI on October 9, 2006, wherein it was claimed that

Jaitley acted as an 'agent' to clinch the deal. Jaitley was then president of Samata Party, which was led by Fernandes.

Both Fernandes and Jaitley have been accused of receiving kickbacks in the deal

Admiral (Retd) Sushil Kumar, who was the Navy chief when Barak was inducted, was also made a co-accused in the case.

Fernandes has already rejected the allegations and said that it was a conspiracy against him.

"Sonia Gandhi is behind this. Bring proof against me; the deal was approved before I came to power. After I joined the ministry the Navy insisted that they need the missile. I took the advice of APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the then scientific advisor to the PM. Then I took the decision," Fernandes had said in 2006.

"If they have to make any charge, then it should start with the President, who first called for it (the missile system), asked for it before I went into the government," the former defence minister had said.

"Kalam said this (missile system) is needed and that is how it came. Otherwise, it wouldn't have come," he had said.

The Barak is an advanced ship-borne missile defence system.