Court rejects Reebok duo’s bail plea

A Gurgaon court on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail applications of Subhinder Singh Prem, the former managing director (MD), and Vishnu Bhagat, chief operating operator (COO) of the India arm of Reebok. Deevakar Anand reports.

A Gurgaon court on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail applications of Subhinder Singh Prem, the former managing director (MD), and Vishnu Bhagat, chief operating operator (COO) of the India arm of Reebok.

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Both were booked on May 21 for allegedly fudging company accounts and operating secret warehouses causing a loss to the tune of over R870 crore to the global sports goods firm.

Additional district and sessions judge Vikram Agarwal turned down the applications of the two accused following a two-hour-and-forty-five-minute hearing of the arguments put by the defence lawyer and that of Reebok’s parent firm, Adidas.

The former MD, in his application, contended that Reebok’s FIR against him is a “counter blast as a feeble answer” to the suit for damages and permanent injunction filed by him against the company in Delhi High Court on May 14. Singh had moved the said petition against a company press release against him in April.

Adidas’s lawyer Rohit Kochhar argued that the nature, magnitude and the extent of fraud did not make this a fit case for granting anticipatory bail to the accused.