Tape of Rs 14-cr bribe offer in CBI hands?

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly received a tape that purportedly contains conversations between Army chief general VK Singh and a retired officer, who offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore to buy 600 substandard trucks for the armed forces in 2010. Singh named ex-gen, but refused action: Antony | Tejinder Singh sues army chief | Congress guarded on issue

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly received a tape that purportedly contains conversations between Army chief general VK Singh and a retired officer, who offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore to buy 600 substandard trucks for the armed forces in 2010.

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According to a source, the CBI received the tape through informal channels — not officially from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). "We are examining the tape to find out whether it carries the voice of the Army chief or the person accused of offering the bribe," he said. The tape allegedly has the Army chief "screaming at the person who made the offer," the source said.

When questioned, CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said, "The CBI formally denies being handed over any tape or complaint by the Ministry of Defence in connection with the bribery allegations."

The source said that the CBI is yet to receive a formal complaint from the Army chief or the MoD on the former's bribery allegations against Lt General (retired) Tejinder Singh.

"We have asked the MoD to send us a formal complaint, detailing the Army chief's allegations about the bribe offer made to him, along with corroborating documents," he added.

According to CBI sources, agency officials met General Singh on Monday and requested a formal communication from him, detailing the sequence of events. According to the source, the agency is likely to file a preliminary inquiry into the case by Thursday.

The agency will also investigate why no official complaint was lodged or action taken against the person accused of making the bribe offer.