Rafale deal: More headaches for Modi; French NGO demands probe against Dassault, govt

In what is seeming to be a never-ending saga of woes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers, a French NGO Sherpa has filed a complaint with the country’s National Financial Prosecutor’s office on the Rafale deal between India and France, reported the website Mediapart.

Sherpa has described itself as an organisation which has the “mission to protect and defend victims of economic crimes drawing on the power of the law and to fight against the new forms of impunity linked to globalisation”.

It has allegedly lodged the complaint to seek answers about allegations of money laundering, granting of undue advantage, corruption and influence peddling on the part of France and Dassault, in the deal inked between India and France in September 2016.

According to the founder of Sherpa, William Bourdon, “Everything indicates that it may be a matter of great seriousness. The elements communicated to the national financial Parquet should lead to the opening of an investigation as soon as possible.”

The Congress has accused the government of overpaying for the fighter aircraft and claimed that the deal has benefitted businessman Anil Ambani. The party has also stated that the Rafale deal violated defence procurement procedures and included no transfer of technology (ToT).

Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s allegations were bolstered by former French President Francois Hollande’s statement in September that the Indian government had proposed the name of Ambani’s Reliance Defence for the offset obligations in the deal.

The Congress has also demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the matter. "If there is no mistake and dishonesty of large-scale, then the BJP should accept the Congress demand of getting the matter probed by a joint parliamentary committee," said Congress leader Anand Sharma.

The Modi government has refused to reveal the price per jet that it has negotiated in the deal, citing a secrecy agreement with France.