The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed a case against British engineering company Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and its Indian subsidiary for allegedly engaging the services of an agent who is accused of paying bribes to get contracts from public sector companies in India, PTI reported.
The company allegedly paid bribes to unknown officials of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and GAIL, according to the investigating agency.
Rolls-Royce allegedly employed the agent despite signing an integrity pact prohibiting such an arrangement, according to PTI. The company allegedly got contracts worth Rs 4,736 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics between 2000 and 2013, as well as contracts for supply of spare parts for GAIL and ONGC, unidentified officials said.
The action came five years after a preliminary inquiry by the agency. The inquiry began after the Defence Ministry received a letter about the allegations.
A Rolls-Royce spokesperson told Reuters that the allegations were related to the use of intermediaries by the company’s erstwhile energy business in India, and that no current employee had been involved in those deals. “We await contact from the CBI and will respond appropriately,” the spokesperson said.
Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article identified Rolls-Royce as a car manufacturer and used a picture showing the logo of another company.
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