CBI charge sheet against Abhishek Verma, wife

New Delhi, June 6:

has filed a charge sheet against arms dealer Abhishek Verma, his wife and others for allegedly taking money from a Swiss company for preventing blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government in connection with the supply of defence equipment.

The charge sheet was filed against Verma, his wife and associate Ancia Neascu, representative of Switzerland-based company Rheinmetall Air Defence AG, and its India representative Gerhard Hoy and the Swiss company, the CBI said.

They were charged under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy and section eight of the Prevention of Corruption Act, it said.

Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act relates to taking bribe, in order, by corrupt or illegal means, to influence public servants and carries a punishment of six months to five years.

The allegations were that Verma, who is at present in jail along with his Romanian wife (also an accused), had received money from the Swiss arms company to delist them from the companies blacklisted by Indian government.

Verma, who had been earlier arrested by CBI in connection with alleged fake passport and leaking of secret commercial information from Naval war room to foreign companies, is alleged to have taken USD 530,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on the promise that he would use his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings initiated by the government against it after the Ordnance Factory Board scam had surfaced.

The CBI alleged that the money was routed into India through a US-based firm Ganton.

PTI