India probe names former minister

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India's premier investigation agency, the CBI, has launched a formal inquiry against a former defence minister in a corruption case.

The agency says George Fernandes approved the purchase of anti-missile defence systems from Israel in 2000.

It says the leader of Mr Fernandes's Samata Party received $450,000 (£240,000) in bribes from the company.

Mr Fernandes says he is innocent and blames the rival Congress Party for trying to frame him.

Rejecting the allegation he said: "Bring proof against me. The deal was approved before I came to power.

"After I joined the ministry, the navy insisted that they needed the missile. I took the advice of the scientific adviser to the prime minister. Then I took the decision."

The CBI said it carried out raids in Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in connection with the investigation.

It said the raids were related to four separate deals, including the purchase of Israeli Barak anti-ship missiles worth $260 million by the Indian defence ministry in 2000.

It said the president of the Samata Party, Jaya Jaitley, received the pay-off and acted as the "agent" to clinch the deal.

The CBI has also named the former head of naval staff, retired Admiral Sushil Kumar, as an accused in the case.

All three have denied the allegations.

Mr Fernandes was forced to resign as defence minister in March 2001 when a news website, Tehelka.com, secretly shot video footage showing politicians, army officers and bureaucrats allegedly accepting bribes from reporters who posed as arms traders.