Kalmadi sets up panel to probe CWG corruption charges

President Pratibha Patil arriving with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for the XIX Commonwealth Games Launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay, in London on October 29, 2009. Sports Minister M S Gill, Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennell and Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi are also seen.

As charges of wrongdoing continued to fly, the Chairman of the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games, Mr Suresh Kalmadi, today appointed a three-member committee to inquire into the allegations of corruption in the organisation of the event that Delhi is slated to host from October 3-14.

At the centre of the allegations is a payment of about 2,50,000 pounds made by the OC to A.M. Films, a United Kingdom-based company, for services rendered by it during the Queen's Baton Relay in London on October 29, 2009.

The company is being probed by authorities in the UK for inadequate paperwork related to the payment, for which it had claimed a VAT refund. As a series of media reports raised suspicion about corruption in the deal, Mr Kalmadi had said that the firm had been recommended to it by the Indian High Commission in London.

At a press conference here some days ago, Mr Kalmadi had also produced e-mails from an employee of the mission to substantiate his case.

Today, Mr Kalmadi met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who apparently told him that the e-mail produced by him was not genuine and was probably doctored. This is what forced Mr Kalmadi to order the inquiry.

The Indian mission in London had denied that it had recommended the company to the OC and that the e-mail produced by Mr Kalmadi was from a person who was very junior and was not authorised to make such recommendations.

OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot told reporters here that the three-member inquiry committee included Mr Jarnail Singh, OC Chief Executive Officer, Mr G C Chaturvedi, Special Director General- Finance, and Gurjyot Kaur, Chief Vigilance Officer.

He said the committee would look into the payment to AM Films for hire of cars, portable toilets, video cameras, video screens and other facilities as well as the High Commission's contention that the letter sent by its employee was not genuine.

Mr Bhanot, however, said he was not aware of the details of the discussions that Mr Kalmadi had with Mr Krishna.

Mr Bhant said the OC had, in the meanwhile, received a letter from the Sports Ministry advising it to immediately remove two OC officials, Mr T S Darbari and Mr Sanjay Mahindroo on alleged corruption charges. He said Mr Mahindroo had resigned some time ago while Mr Darbari was still working with the OC.

He said the committee would also inquire into the deal between the OC and Sports Marketing and Management, a Melbourne-based firm, which was hired for bringing in sponsorship for the Games.

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