Flagging a report on the Rafale jet deal by news portal The Wire, Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged today that plane maker Dassault Aviation paid Rs 284 crore to Anil Ambani’s company as “first instalment of kickbacks” and commented: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t survive an inquiry on Rafale, I guarantee.”The Congress president shared no evidence or document to substantiate his allegations.
The Wire report, on which Rahul Gandhi has based his latest broadside, says Rafale maker Dassault followed up its offset partnership with Reliance Defence by investing around 40 million euros, around Rs 284 crore last year in another Anil Ambani venture that is loss-making and has almost zero revenues. The news portal has cited regulatory filings in France and India. The Wire report says Dassault’s investment translated into a Rs 284 crore profit for the Ambani group company, Reliance Infrastructure, which sold shares in a subsidiary, Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL) at a premium.
The Wire refers to an interview in which Dassault CEO Eric Trappier had claimed his company chose Reliance ADAG as its offsets partner because it had land available next to an airport. “However, the land was only given to Reliance by the state government after it had reached an understanding with Dassault to collaborate on the Rafale,” the report said. “It is now revealed that the land was actually bought from the money of the contract that was given by Dassault to Anil Ambani… this is a clear-cut case of getting a kickback” said Mr Gandhi
News courtesy: The Wire.
