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Advancing arguments on framing of charges in the case, CBI prosecutor V K Sharma said Kalmadi and other co-accused former OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot, Director General V K Verma and Joint Director General (Sports) A S V Prasad were "pressurising" that contract should be given to Swiss Timing.
The prosecutor referred to the statements of prosecution witnesses made before the CBI and said co-accused P D Arya and A K Madan, the promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International, were visiting CWG organising committee since January 2009 for the contract and they used to convince officials that Swiss Timing was a "good company".
The prosecutor also 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 Kalmadi and Verma had on October 12, 2009 announced in a meeting that the contract would be awarded to Swiss Timing.
"One of the prosecution witnesses had said that Verma had announced the decision to give the contract to the Swiss firm on October 12, 2009 in the general assembly meeting with the representatives of Commonwealth Games federation. When Verma was making the announcement of the contract, Kalmadi was also sitting on the dias," he said.
The CBI prosecutor also said Kalmadi had made up his mind in advance to award the contract to the Swiss firm. "There was no bid before this October 12, 2009 meeting. Even Swiss Timing Omega had not participated in the bidding but Kalmadi and Verma announced the company was eligible for the contract and it would be given to them," he said.
Kalmadi and the other accused are charged with illegally granting the TSR system contract to Swiss Timing Omega during the 2010 Commonwealth Games here, causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to the state exchequer. Besides Kalmadi, Bhanot Verma and Prasad, other accused in the case are OC Director General (Procurement) Surjit Lal and Treasurer M Jayachandran. They are no more associated with the sporting body.
Promoters of two construction companies - P D Arya and A K Madan of Faridabad-based Gem International and A K Reddy and his firm AKR Constructions are also accused in the case. Besides them, the two firms, Swiss Timing Omega (the swiss firm which was awarded the contract at exorbitant rates) and AKR Constructions are also accused in the case.
