CWG Scam update

Former Commonwealth Games (CWG) chief organiser and Pune MP Suresh Kalmadi and nine others, including sports bigwigs Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma, were put on trial in a corruption case relating to a contract awarded to a Swiss firm that caused a loss of Rs 90 crore to the exchequer.
The contract for the CWG’s timing, scoring and results system awarded to Swiss Timing cost Rs 157 crore while Spanish firm MSL’s Rs 62 crore bid was rejected by the Kalmadi-led organising committee (OC). The accused, who have been chargesheeted by a CBI court, face charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating.
Special CBI Judge Ravinder Kaur framed charges under the penal code and Prevention of Corruption Act for “illegally” awarding the contract for the 2010 Games to Swiss Timing at an inflated rate while the lower priced competitor was unfairly eliminated.
At the time when the Games were held Bhanot was the organising committee’s secretary general, V K Verma was director general, Surjit Lal was director general (procurement), A S V Prasad was joint director general (sports) and M Jayachandran (treasurer).
Apart from the six former officials, promoters of two construction firms — P D Arya and A K Madan of Faridabad-based Gem International and A K Reddy of Hyderabad-based A K R Constructions — are also accused in the case.