LONDON: The alleged Defense Middleman Sanjay Bhandari has submitted a request for political asylum in the UK and also began a claim of € 11 million (RS 92 Crore) against French weapons companies in the French court which could endanger the sale of Rafale military aircraft in India, according to a British newspaper.
The Daily Telegraph said he had seen claims that Bhandari made against Thales in a commercial court near Paris.
Thales supplying avionics equipment for Rafale Dassault Aviation aircraft.
Bhandari asked the court to order Thales to pay the commission to him that he said that he owed, which was denied by Thales.
In his claim against Thales, Bhandari alleged that he was employed by Thales to secure a contract of € 2.4 billion (RS 20 Crore) to increase Mirage 2000 military jets for the Indian Air Force.
The contract was signed in 2011.
The Telegraph stated that “Bhandari accused that from 2008 he helped Thales sell a Jet Mirage upgrade by facilitating a meeting” with an Indian senior official.
Therefore because of consulting costs € 20 million (RS 167 Crore) but only paid € 9 million (Rs 75 Crore).
Mr.
Bhandari accused this because of the political factors in 2016 when he was close to the Indian Congress Party.
At this time the BJP party in power …
began to persecute.
He, he claims.
He escaped to England where he was currently fighting with extradition of things that were not related and claimed political asylum, “said the British newspaper.
This is the first time allegedly that Bhandari, who fled to England in 2016, has submitted Political asylum requests in the UK.
According to the claim, Bhandari was paid by Thales through “complex financial financial schemes in India and Dubai which allowed the payment of secret commissions to intermediaries.
A special subsidiary called Thales Middle East & Africa is thought to have been responsible for the spread.
From this financial structure ” It was alleged that this case could influence the purchase in the future of India from Jet Fighters Rafale.
India is in the midst of the procurement of 26 twin combat jets for the first Indian aircraft carrier (IAC) Ins Vikrant in an agreement is said to be worth more than $ 2 billion.
A fighter jet Rafale-M (Marine) arrived in Goa last Thursday from France and was being tested by the Indian Navy from a coastal-based testing facility in Goa.
In March the Indian Navy will try the Super Hornets F-18 supplied by Boeing in the US And then the Indian government will decide which one is on order.
The time is important because only weeks before hearing The main extradition of Bhandari began in London on February 21.
India was trying to extradite Bhandari from London to India to face accusations of tax evasion in India between April 24, 2016 and September 22, 2019.
He faced several other probes and court cases in India.
Thales denied the claim, said he had never hired Bhandari and did not use an intermediary.
A spokesman Thales told Tii: “Mr.
Bhandari submitted a petition against Thales SA in a commercial court in June 2021 for the settlement of the number allegedly because of the aeronautic modernization project.
Thales firmly denied the claim by the number.
Allegedly because of him by Thales S.
Thales has never signed a contract with Mr.
Bhandari or his company in connection with this project.
Thales obeys the law and applies zero tolerance policies about corruption and influences peddling.
The integrity of program groups is regularly evaluated and amended to reflect change in applicable laws and best practice.
“
Sanjay Bhandari demanded the French weapons company for the alleged ‘commission’ that had not been paid for improving Mirage, has ‘submit a petition for political asylum in England’
