Delhi Games chief accused of corruption

Police questioned Delhi Commonwealth Games top organiser as part of a widening corruption probe into the tainted October event.

Suresh Kalmadi arrived mid-morning at the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi, where detectives quizzed him over suspect contracts.

The Games, which were marred by venue delays and poor organisation, were also hit by claims of massive financial irregularities as the budget ballooned to an estimated six billion dollars.

In late December, two and half months after the Games had ended, police raided several residences used by Kalmadi, leading to criticism that the CBI had waited too long to gather evidence.

The CBI has also complained to the government that Kalmadi and his closest aide, Lalit Bhanot, were obstructing their investigation and recommended that they be removed from their posts.

Kalmadi, a 66-year-old former air force pilot with powerful political connections, has consistently protested his innocence in the face of fierce attacks from the media and political critics.

He was booed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games after becoming the public face for the organisational fiasco that caused India acute embarrassment on the international stage.

Police have questioned a number of senior Games officials, including Bhanot, and have charged three lower ranking officials.

The case is politically sensitive because of Kalmadi's membership of the ruling Congress party, which is fighting corruption scandals on numerous fronts but has pledged to bring the guilty to justice.

Kalmadi was stripped of his senior position as a secretary of the party in November, but he still represents Congress in his home constituency of Pune in western India in the lower house of parliament.

The police corruption probe has so far focused on contracts awarded for a ceremony in London to mark the start of the baton rally, which saw a Games baton travel across participating nations.

The CBI has also charged sports timing company Swiss Timing, which has worked on a host of Olympic and Commonwealth Games, over alleged kickbacks contained in a contract it won to provide the official timing for events.

The national anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), has received complaints alleging up to 1.8 billion dollars of Games money was misappropriated.

A initial report by the CVC into the Games confirmed the use of sub-standard construction materials in a host of Games-related building contracts and deliberate cost overruns.

The October 3-14 Commonwealth Games brought together athletes from 71 countries and territories, mostly from the former British empire.