IAF’s Wing Commander Dismissed Over Bribery Charges

New Delhi, July 17, IRNA -- IAF has dismissed a Wing Commander who was allegedly caught demanding a bribe of Rs 20,000 from officials of a French defense firm at the Aero India show in Bangalore in 2011. Wing Commander A. K. Thakur was dismissed after a General Court Martial found him guilty of seeking bribe from French defense firm Dassault Aviation during the show in February 2011, the PTI reported quoting IAF sources as said here Tuesday. Thakur was accused of demanding bribe for allotting a ˈmore advantageous positionˈ for its Rafale aircraft in the ˈstaticˈ aircraft display section at the biennial airshow, the sources said. An official of Dassault Aviation, who had filed a complaint against the officer, also appeared before the GCM headed by a Group Captain-rank officer, the sources said. Dassault Aviationˈs Rafale, which has now won the race for IAFˈs multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal, was one of the six contenders in the hotly-contested tender when the alleged incident took place. The GCM had recommended Thakurˈs dismissal last year itself but its recommendations could not be confirmed so far as the officer had approached the courts seeking relief./end