CBI to seek more time to grill accused

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing irregularities in the Timing, Scoring & Results (TSR) system contract to a Swiss firm by Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC), is likely to soon seek a city court's permission to grill an accused.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing irregularities in the Timing, Scoring & Results (TSR) system contract to a Swiss firm by Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC), is likely to soon seek a city court's permission to grill an accused.

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Accused AK Reddy, who is a promoter of Hyderabad-based firm AKR Constructions, had been declared a proclaimed offender but had surrendered before the court last Saturday.

Though Reddy was remanded to judicial custody till early September, the CBI on Thursday is likely to seek permission for a few more days to interrogate him. Thursday is the next day when the case will come up for hearing, said a CBI source.

Faridabad-based firm Gem international, along with AKR Constructions, were the Swiss firm's sub-contractors for the CWG contract and

had allegedly received from it the suspected bribe of Rs 23 crore for "only perfunctory work", said the source. The two firms had also allegedly inflated invoices worth Rs 11.28 lakh for temporary cabling work, he said.

The source said the Hyderabad firm was chosen as a sub-contractor even though it had specialised only in canal-lining work and lacked the skill-sets required to perform the TSR functions.

"Reddy and the two other promoters of Gem international played a vital role in the TSR contract's award that led to the loss of R95 crore to the state exchequer," said the source.

Reddy's interrogation could help the CBI establish the chain linking the case's six accused OC officials, who allegedly favoured the Swiss firm that got the contract at Rs 157 crore.