Bofors case back in spotlight after 4 decades. The story so far...

The so-called Bofors kickbacks scandal of the 1980s, in which then premier Rajiv Gandhi and others were accused of receiving pay-offs from arms manufacturer AB Bofors in connection with the supply of 155mm howitzers, is back in the news because of a new book and a judicial request to the US for information on the case.

- Rezaul H Laskar and Rahul Singh

NEW DELHI:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sent a letter rogatory, or judicial request, to the US seeking information and evidence from private investigator Michael Hershman, who has expressed willingness to share fresh information about the alleged ₹64 crore Bofors bribery scandal, which first came to light nearly 39 years ago.

A new book, BoforsGate, written by journalist Chitra Subramaniam, claims senior Indian bureaucrats "tutored" Bofors officials during a "secret meeting" in 1987 on "how to absolve then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of all blame". The claim is based on an agreed-upon summary of the secret meeting between "Bofors's top dogs and India's top bureaucrats" provided by Sten Lindstrom, aka "Sting" in the book; he was the Swedish police official who conducted the investigation into the allegations.

To be sure, Rajiv Gandhi, when he was still alive, and his Congress party, has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case.

The alleged scandal

About a year after the Indian government and Swedish armaments company AB Bofors signed a $1.5 billion contract for more than 400 155mm field howitzer guns on March 24, 1986, Swedish Radio reported on April 16, 1987 that the firm allegedly paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to secure the deal.

This was denied by Rajiv Gandhi, but the matter shook up India's political establishment a little more than two years after he became Prime Minister on the back of a huge groundswell of support for the Congress party in the December 1984 general elections following the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi.