The two-month grace period covers all types of visas, including tourist and expired residency permits
visa and immigration in uae10 hours ago
Ravi Rishi: Is he the new high profile scapegoat? |
According to the probe it is alleged this couple was in touch with Ravi Rishi and facilitated Rishi’s dealings in the defence department.
A question that will clearly arise out of this completely embarrassing mess is why the incumbent army chief, General V K Singh did not react more forthrightly to the bribe offer made to him some fourteen months ago and why did he wait till the end of his tenure.
In the din over this scandal and the furore over the controversial promotion of Lt. Gen Bikram Singh in being named the next chief, a step already sullied by legal protests, little has been said about the functioning levels of the much-maligned Tatra trucks which have been manufactured since WW II and have a record of performance for 70 years. According to some sources, there is nothing substandard about them and their ‘breakdown’ quotient is at the expected average for the heavy duty they perform in rough terrain.
Why then was a bribe offered when the deal was part of an ongoing purchase programme?
Instead of investigating this aspect, the scandal has again shifted to the nexus between Rishi and the bureaucrats. The couple’s proximity with Rishi is reported to have established itself when Arvind Joshi, the husband, was posted as Joint Secretary at the Defence Ministry during 1999-2004. It is during this tenure that Rishi’s Vectra group, either coincidentally or otherwise, signed defence deals for the supply of 12 light helicopters, they said.
Reports indicate that Ravi Rishi, the NRI businessman who owns the UK-based Vectra group that sold the Tatra trucks to the Indian Army, is very cool and calm under interrogation and taking it all in his stride. He has a full time professional PR company working for him and all queries are directed to them.
On Sunday, the CBI issued restraining instructions on Rishi to prevent him from leaving the country. His passport has been impounded and the CBI says they may interview him again on the allegation made by General Singh that a retired officer, Lt. Gen Tejinder Singh had offered him a bribe of roughly Dh12 million to clear a deal of 600 trucks. Now, he is purportedly saying it was Rishi. So how many people actually offered this bribe? There is speculation that Rishi could face arrest in the case because he could be the most convenient face of the scandal. He is rich, he is an NRI and he deals in military equipment, ideal basis for making him first choice suspect. Last week, his home in Delhi and various properties had been raided, and allegedly some documents relating to the controversial deal were recovered. Why he would keep them so easily accessible as a shrewd businessman when the heat was on is inexplicable?
The CBI has approached the income tax (I-T) department to find out if its probe against the suspended IAS couple in Madhya Pradesh, Arvind Joshi and Tinoo Joshi, had produced any more tangible evidence to prove that they knew Rishi well during those five years and if they had helped him create his network.
The two-month grace period covers all types of visas, including tourist and expired residency permits
visa and immigration in uae10 hours ago
Sheikh Mohamed extended his sympathies during a visit to the mourning majlis in Al Ain
uae10 hours ago
According to an official, several people are still feared trapped in the debris
asia11 hours ago
Amateurs Afzaal Ahmad, Parvez Ahmed, and Arbaaz Ahmad shine with an Impressive 89-point performance at the Emirates Golf Club
sports12 hours ago
The Meteorological Organisation that it is closely monitoring what is being circulated on social media
mena12 hours ago
There have been a series of school fires in the country in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson
africa12 hours ago
Salama Alfalacy is into realistic art featuring landscapes and wildlife, while Meera Jamal Al Midfa is setting new grounds in performance art and filmmaking
arts13 hours ago
Dubai Police have asked drivers to be extra cautious
transport13 hours ago