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Rolls Royce offers to return Rs 18 crore it gave to agents

New Delhi, March 9
Under fire over an alleged bribery scandal, British firm Rolls Royce has written to the state-owned HAL that it was ready to return Rs 18 crore paid by it to its commission agents to the government.

The Defence Ministry ordered a CBI probe into Rolls Royce's alleged hiring of middlemen in contracts worth around Rs 10,000 crore for supplying aircraft engines to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Rolls Royce has written a letter to the HAL on March 5 claiming that it has paid only 1. 8 million pounds (Rs 18 crore) as commission to its agent Aashmore Private Limited and was willing to return that amount to the government, sources said.

The aerospace PSU is now planning to forward the letter to the government for further action. The Defence Ministry has already put on hold all deals with Rolls Royce pending a CBI probe ordered into allegations of bribery and engaging middlemen in contracts for supply of aircraft engines to HAL. — PTI