CBI seeks US assistance in Bofors scam

Howitzer guns were used during the Kargil war. Pic/X@DY365

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sent a judicial request to the United States seeking information from private investigator Michael Hershman, who had expressed willingness to share with Indian agencies crucial details about the Rs 64-crore Bofors bribery scandal of the 1980s, officials said on Wednesday.

Hershman visited India in 2017 to attend a conference of private detectives. During his stay, he appeared on various platforms, alleging that the investigation into the scam was derailed by the then Congress government and stated he was willing to share details with the CBI.

He had claimed in an interview that he was appointed by the Union Finance Ministry in 1986 for investigation of violation of currency control laws and money laundering by Indians abroad and tracking of such assets outside India and some of them pertained to the Bofors deal.

The scam pertains to allegations of a Rs 64-crore bribe in a Rs 1437-crore deal with Swedish firm Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm field Howitzers, which played a significant role in India's victory during the Kargil war.

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