The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed its chargesheet in the infamous 2002 'coffin scam', against four persons including two retired Army officials and one serving officer.
Official sources said the chargesheet was filed on August 19 in a CBI Special Court in New Delhi.
The CBI has not named the then Defence Minister George Fernandes, who had come under the scanner following allegations that poor quality aluminum caskets were bought from United States at 'exorbitant rates' after the Kargil war.
Sources said Fernandes -- during the questioning by the CBI -- could not remember anything that happened during the particular period.
The chargesheet was filed against then military attache in the Indian Embassy in the US, Major General (Retd) Arun Roy, Col (Retd) S K Malik, Col S D Singh and US based private person Victor Baiza of Buritrol and Baizarces, the vendor which supplied the casket.
"This case is related to purchase of aluminum caskets to carry dead body but it was subsequently rejected. In the meantime, Victor Baiza had already obtained the payment against Letter of Credit. This caused a loss of Rs 89 lakh to the government exchequer. Therefore, a chargesheet has been filed against four persons," CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said.
He said the charges have been framed under different section of IPC, including Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 IPC (cheating) and under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for alleged abuse of official position for personal gains.
The coffin scam, which rocked the nation during the Kargil war when body bags were used to bring back bodies of soldiers killed during the conflict, had come under the scanner of Comptroller and Auditor General, which had found lot of flaws in the procurement of caskets.
The UPA government then referred a number of defence deals entered during the NDA regime to CBI on the basis of objections raised by the CAG.
At the height of controversy, Fernandes had given clean chit to the procurement process for purchasing of coffins for the soldiers killed during the Kargil war.
