New Delhi: The Europe-based three Hinduja brothers on September 27 claimed before a Delhi court that there was no corruption in the Bofors gun deal as the contract was finalised only after the Army gave its nod.

"There is no corruption in the Bofors gun deal. And if at all there is corruption in the contract, it is between the Army and the Bofors company and not between Bofors and the other accused as alleged by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)," Hindujas' counsel Ram Jethmalani told Special Judge Prem Kumar.

During arguments on point of charge, when the court asked why did the then Chief of Army Staff General K Sunderjee change his opinion at the last moment in favour of Bofors, Jethmalani said, "Mere statement that French Gun system Sofma was better is not sufficient.

"You (CBI) have to lead proper evidence in to support it. There is neither any evidence nor any suggestion to this effect," he added.

Claiming that the Hinduja brothers were innocent and had been wrongly framed in the case, Jethmalani said that there was no evidence showing their involvement in the alleged conspiracy and trying them would be nothing but waste of time.

He said that the accused were not agents of Bofors as alleged by the probe agency, but acted as global business consultants and as such they were under no obligation to disclose their 1979 contract with Bofors.

Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand - have been chargesheeted by CBI for allegedly taking an illegal commission of 81 million Swedish Kroner from Bofors in the Howitzer gun deal signed in March 1986.

PTI