The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally requested assistance from the United States through a letter rogatory (LR) to gather evidence from private investigator Michael Hershman regarding the alleged ₹64-crore Bofors bribery scandal from the 1980s. Hershman has indicated his readiness to provide new insights into the case.
In 2018, the CBI sought to reopen the investigation, prompted by Hershman’s interview on a television channel, despite having closed the case in 2011 due to insufficient evidence. The LR, approved by a Delhi court and routed through India’s ministries of home affairs and external affairs, follows multiple unsuccessful attempts by the CBI to obtain information via Interpol in November 2023, December 2023, May 2024, and August 2024, with U.S. authorities requesting additional time to respond.
The Bofors scandal centers on a ₹1,437-crore deal signed in the 1980s under the Congress-led government for 400 155mm field howitzers from Swedish firm Bofors, weapons that later proved instrumental in India’s 1999 Kargil war victory. Allegations of a ₹64-crore bribe emerged in 1987 via a Swedish radio report, triggering a CBI probe in 1990.
The agency filed charge sheets in 1999 and 2000, but the case saw significant developments over the years: the Delhi High Court cleared former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of involvement in 2004 and dismissed charges against the Hinduja brothers in 2005. In 2011, a Delhi court discharged Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an alleged intermediary who passed away in 2013, allowing the CBI to halt prosecution against him.
Hershman, who visited India in 2017 for a private detectives’ conference, claimed the Congress government obstructed the original investigation. He alleged that in 1986, the Union finance ministry tasked him with probing violations of currency control laws, money laundering, and overseas assets linked to Indian nationals, some of which tied back to the Bofors deal.
The CBI took his statements seriously, announcing a reinvestigation in 2017. In October 2024, the agency sought court approval for the LR, which was granted on February 11, 2025. The court noted the need for further investigation, citing Hershman’s claims and the unavailability of old records from the finance ministry about his engagement.
The court’s order emphasized the necessity of collecting documentary and oral evidence from the U.S., including statements from Hershman, to substantiate his allegations. The LR requests U.S. authorities to assist in gathering this material. The Bofors controversy, which contributed to the Congress party’s electoral loss in 1989, remains a politically charged issue in India, with rival parties leveraging it to criticize the Rajiv Gandhi administration.
