French NGO files complaint, wants clarification on terms of Rafale deal

November 24, 2018 08:04

A French NGO that fights "economic crimes" has filed a complaint with their country's Financial Prosecutor's Office, seeking clarification on the conditions under which the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets was signed with India as well as the choice of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as an offset partner by Dassault Aviation, the makers of the jet.

The NGO, Sherpa, says its complaint follows the one by a former minister and an anti-corruption lawyer to the Central Bureau of Investigation against "Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 'abuse of authority' and 'grant of undue advantages' in connection with the sale of Rafale, and the facts revealed by Mediapart and Sherpa's investigation."

The NGO, in its press release, has said it expects the National Public Prosecutor's Office to "promptly investigate the seriousness of the facts and the presumptions on the reported offences: potential corruption, grant of undue advantages, trading in influence, complicity of these offences, concealment of corruption and laundering of these offences."

Sherpa, which filed the complaint at the end of October, calls itself an organisation with the "mission to protect and defend victims of economic crimes drawing on the power of the law and to fight against the new forms of impunity linked to globalisation."

The deal for the 36 fighter jets with France has turned into a huge political controversy in India, with allegations of corruption and crony capitalism. The Congress alleges that Dassault chose Reliance Defence as an offset partner despite its inexperience in the field, to bag the Rs 59,000 crore deal. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has accused Dassault of lying.

The Congress also accuses the government of deliberately scrapping a deal the previous UPA government had negotiated with Dassault, for 126 Rafale jets under which 18 jets were to be supplied in a fly-away condition and 108 were to be manufactured in India along with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Dassault and the government have, however, rubbished Mr Gandhi's allegations. "We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance," Dassault CEO Eric Trappier said.

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