Daysafter a French news portal alleged that a middleman was paid several millioneuros by Dassault Aviation, makers of Rafale fighter jets, businessman SushenMohan Gupta's legal team broke its silence and denied all the allegations as"fabricated and baseless".
Thelegal team claimed that neither Gupta nor his companies were involved in anymanner in the Indo-French transaction for the acquisition of 36 fighter jets.
Theremarks from the businessman's legal team came days after a French news portal,Mediapart, in three investigative reports claimed that it was in possession ofdocuments that showed Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the Rafale jet, andits industrial partner Thales, a defence electronics firm, paid "middleman"Gupta several million euros in "secret commissions" in connectionwith the Rs 59,000 crore deal for 36 jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Ina statement issued on Friday, Gupta's legal team said, "Fabricated,factually incorrect and baseless reports have appeared in a section of themedia over the past days reporting factually incorrect statements regardingGupta and his companies."
Itsaid that first and foremost, "all allegations, insinuations or claims ofany impropriety, irregularity or illegality involving Gupta or companies arevehemently denied and rejected as being false, baseless and mischievous".
Itsaid that the reports seem to be "motivated". "It ispreposterous to suggest that a private individual could have influenced agovernment to governmental transaction for the acquisition of 36 Rafalejets," it said.
Categoricallydenying any wrongdoing, the statement read, "Gupta or his companies arenot involved in any manner in the Indo-French transaction for acquisition of 36Rafale jets."
Itfurther said that it is preposterous to suggest that Gupta has any relevance orcan exercise any influence on inter-governmental dealings or transactions andGuptas not and has never been a commercial agent in relation to defence deals,whether of Dassault or of any other entity.
TheFrench news portal has alleged that the bulk of the payments were made before2013. "According to an accounts spreadsheet belonging to Gupta, an entitycalled simply 'D', which is a code he regularly used to designate Dassault,paid euro 14.6 million to Interdev in Singapore over the period2004-2013," the report said. It said that Interdev was a shell companywith no real activity, and administered by a straw man for the Gupta family.
Thestatement from Gupta's legal team further stated that all transactions ofIndian Avitronics are "legitimate contracts" and "dulydisclosed" to concerned authorities. The statement further read that Guptahas never obtained or shared any classified government documents.
Thelegal team also said that Gupta does not have any companies or bank accountsoutside India and has never had any offshore dealings with Dassault, Thales orSafran as alleged.
Itfurther stated that there have been "no financial transactions"whatsoever of Gupta or his companies with 'IDS', Interdev or Interstellar.
Thestatement also read that Gupta has always fully cooperated with allinvestigative agencies. Thestatement also said that the media reports appear to be based on materialincorrectly and falsely attributed to Gupta.
"Thecredibility of both, the source, as well as materials submitted by the source,in the proceedings is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court asbeing false, self-serving and motivated," it said.