Suresh Nanda fails to turn up before CBI

New Delhi, Feb.1 : Arms dealer Suresh Nanda, who is alleged to have received over Rupees 450 crores kickbacks in connection with Barak Anti-Missile System and Armoured Recovery Vehicles deals, failed to turn up before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further questioning.

Sources said that Nanda had cited ill-health as the reason for his no-show before the CBI.

A businessman and son of former Naval Chief Admiral S M Nanda, Suresh is said to have informed CBI officials that he was down with fever.

His passport was suspended temporarily by the Government for four weeks from Thursday.

Nanda has denied any wrong doing and claimed that the money in question had been received through proper banking channels. He has also refuted claims of the CBI that he had a British passport or had obtained the nationality of that country.

The CBI officials said they would get in touch with Nanda and call for a next date as they wanted to conclude the probe at the earliest.

Former Defence Minister George Fernandes and the then Naval Chief Admiral Susheel Kumar is an accused in the Rs 1,150 crore Barak missile deal in the agency's FIR, in which Nanda is alleged to have paid money to the then Samata Party treasurer R K Jain.

The CBI was also awaiting replies to its Letters Rogatory sent to the UK, Mauritius, the UAE and Germany.

Nanda is also an accused in a case on purchase of Armoured Recovery Vehicles being probed by the agency.

ANI