NEW DELHI: Sudhir Choudhrie, one of India's most notorious arms-dealers and who figures in CBI's list of "undesirable contact men", may soon end up finding a seat in the UK's House of Lords.
If the proposal of ruling British party Liberal Democrats goes through, then Choudhrie would add yet another sensational twist to his already cinematic life.
According to British media reports, British deputy PM Nick Clegg has proposed that Choudhrie, one of the biggest political donors to Liberal Democrats, be appointed a peer.
The move would come at a time when the Italian authorities and CBI are investigating the VVIP helicopter scandal, in which Finmeccanica's former senior executives have claimed that Choudhrie was the Italian consortium's middleman for India contracts in the past.
He also figures in the CBI's FIR into the Barak missile scandal, though he is not named an accused. Another FIR, naming Choudhrie an accused, was closed a few months ago by CBI, which said it had no concrete evidence.
He has also been identified by the CBI in a list of 23 undesirable contact men, with whom government departments and officials are not to have any business. Government officials are also supposed not to have any social contacts and not to accept hospitality or gifts from them.
According to reports, Choudhrie's family has donated more than £640,000 to Liberal Democrats since 2004. He has personally given £95,000 while family companies gave at least £525,000 to the ruling party, according to them.
Choudhrie runs several companies in the UK, India and elsewhere. The parent company of many of his firms are Harberry Investments, which is based in the tax haven of British Virgin Islands.
Choudhrie is believed to be India's most powerful arms-dealer. He has extensive interests in Europe, Israel, and Russia. He is also suspected to partially control defence firms at least in Israel.
Rising with the help of an uncle who once was a senior official with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL), Choudhrie has had a dizzying growth as an arms-dealer over the last three decades. Through extensive use of tax havens and powerful political-bureaucratic and military contacts, he is suspected to have swung major defence contracts in India.
If Choudhrie becomes a peer in UK, it would be a new high for illegal arms-dealers operating in Indian market.
Indian arms dealer to be a Lord in UK? - The Times of India
If the proposal of ruling British party Liberal Democrats goes through, then Choudhrie would add yet another sensational twist to his already cinematic life.
According to British media reports, British deputy PM Nick Clegg has proposed that Choudhrie, one of the biggest political donors to Liberal Democrats, be appointed a peer.
The move would come at a time when the Italian authorities and CBI are investigating the VVIP helicopter scandal, in which Finmeccanica's former senior executives have claimed that Choudhrie was the Italian consortium's middleman for India contracts in the past.
He also figures in the CBI's FIR into the Barak missile scandal, though he is not named an accused. Another FIR, naming Choudhrie an accused, was closed a few months ago by CBI, which said it had no concrete evidence.
He has also been identified by the CBI in a list of 23 undesirable contact men, with whom government departments and officials are not to have any business. Government officials are also supposed not to have any social contacts and not to accept hospitality or gifts from them.
According to reports, Choudhrie's family has donated more than £640,000 to Liberal Democrats since 2004. He has personally given £95,000 while family companies gave at least £525,000 to the ruling party, according to them.
Choudhrie runs several companies in the UK, India and elsewhere. The parent company of many of his firms are Harberry Investments, which is based in the tax haven of British Virgin Islands.
Choudhrie is believed to be India's most powerful arms-dealer. He has extensive interests in Europe, Israel, and Russia. He is also suspected to partially control defence firms at least in Israel.
Rising with the help of an uncle who once was a senior official with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL), Choudhrie has had a dizzying growth as an arms-dealer over the last three decades. Through extensive use of tax havens and powerful political-bureaucratic and military contacts, he is suspected to have swung major defence contracts in India.
If Choudhrie becomes a peer in UK, it would be a new high for illegal arms-dealers operating in Indian market.
Indian arms dealer to be a Lord in UK? - The Times of India
