Tytler showed Maken's forged letter to company official: CBI

Jagdish Tytler had knowingly and actively connived with Abhishek Verma in attempting to cheat M/s ZTE Telecom, says CBI

Alleging that Jagdish Tytler "actively connived" with businessman Abhishek Verma to cheat a telecom firm, CBI has said the Congress leader had first shown a "fake and forged" letter to its official claiming that it was written by Minister Ajay Maken to the Prime Minister.

"Investigation has, therefore, revealed that Jagdish Tytler had knowingly and actively connived with Abhishek Verma in attempting to cheat M/s ZTE Telecom India Pvt Ltd," the agency said in its chargesheet against Tytler and Verma filed in a Delhi court for their attempt to cheat the Chinese company on the issue of visa norms.

"It is clear that Jagdish Tytler, who was well acquainted with Abhishek Verma, was a party in attempting to cheat ZTE. It was he (Tytler) who showed the fake letter to the officials of ZTE for the first time at his residence and it was in his presence....Abhishek Verma discussed with ZTE for an agreement for the said deal," the agency said.

The two have been chargesheeted for offence of attempt to cheat and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

"There was a meeting of minds between Abhishek Verma and Jagdish Tytler in their attempt to cheat ZTE Telecom India Pvt Ltd on the basis of fake and forged letter addressed to the Prime Minister from Ajay Maken, the then MoS (Home Affairs)," it said in its charge sheet filed before Special CBI Judge V K Gupta.

The court, which had taken cognisance on the charge sheet, has issued summon to Tytler for September 30 while Verma is presently in judicial custody.

The case was lodged on a complaint on July 20 last year by Maken who had alleged that a forged letter on his letterhead, when he was the Minister of state for Home, was written to the Prime Minister seeking easing of visa norms in 2009 for the employees of the company.

The CBI, in its charge sheet, said that Ministry of Home Affairs (foreigner division) had issued guidelines for grant of extension of visas to foreign nationals by its August 10, 2009 order.

An order was issued on October 27, 2009 by the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, foreigner registration office, Gurgaon to ZTE Telecom India Pvt Ltd directing that foreign nationals, who were already in the country on business visa and engaged in executing projects or contracts, should leave India on expiry of their existing visas or by October 31, 2009.