Award of TSR system contract was transparent, Bhanot tells court

NEW DELHI: Nothing was kept “secret” regarding the award of Timing, Scoring and Results (TSR) system contract to a Swiss firm ahead of the Commonwealth Games, former CWG Organizing Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot, accused in a Games-related corruption case, told a special CBI court on Friday.
Opposing the framing of charges, Bhanot’s counsel told special judge Talwant Singh that everything was “transparent” in the process of awarding the contract to Swiss Timing as it was announced in the general assembly meeting of the OC on October 12, 2009.
“Nothing can be more transparent on part of Organizing Committee (OC) as it had openly announced in its general assembly meeting that the Timing, Scoring and Results (TSR) system contract is being given to Swiss Timing.
“A large number of foreigners were also present in that meeting. Nothing was kept secret so where is the conspiracy,” he said. The counsel also argued that while framing charges against Bhanot, the court must examine where the “conspiracy, dishonesty and maliciousness” was.
“Conspiracy is done between two-three persons and it is kept secret but when the award of contract was announced in front of a large number, it is not conspiracy or dishonesty,” he said.
The counsel further said it was the openness of OC that they came in public with whatever they had with them regarding the award of TSR contract.
Earlier, the CBI prosecutor had argued that two bids were received for TSR contract from Swiss Timing and MSL Spain and the same were opened on November 4, 2009 but sacked CWG OC chief Suresh Kalmadi and director general V K Verma, accused in the case, had on October 12, 2009 itself announced in a meeting that the contract would be awarded to Swiss Timing.
The CBI had alleged that Kalmadi and his associates had rejected MSL's bid with much lower value at Rs 62 crore for installing the TSR system for the CWG Games and had awarded it to Swiss Timing Omega, causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to the public exchequer.
Kalmadi, Bhanot and nine others have been charge-sheeted by the CBI for allegedly “illegally” awarding contract to install the TSR system for the 2010 CWG to Swiss Timing, violating various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.