Cameron grilled over ethical concerns

UK Political Correspondent

Wednesday 20 February 2013

David Cameron's efforts to boost trade links with India ran into trouble yesterday amid a furore over alleged corruption.

CAMPUS KING: David Cameron met Bollywood star Aamir Khan, right, and students at the Janki Devi Memorial College, New Delhi. Picture: EPA

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Kate Devlin UK Political Correspondent

The PM faced a grilling about a UK-based company's contract to supply helicopters to the Indian air force.

The allegations are front-page news in Indian newspapers and the country's prime minister Manmohan Singh used a joint press conference to tackle the Conservative leader raising "very serious concerns" about possible ethical breaches.

India has suspended payments on the £480 million contract. It follows the arrest on corruption and tax fraud charges of Giuseppe Orsi, the chairman and chief executive of Agusta-Westland's Italian parent-company Finmeccanica, as well as AgustaWestland chief executive Bruno Spagnolini.Earlier this week, Mr Cameron praised Westland's operations in England and insisted that the allegations were a matter for Italian and Indian authorities. But he was forced to reassure the Indian PM that the UK would respond to any request for information in the case.Speaking after talks between the two men, Mr Singh told reporters he had conveyed to the Prime Minister "our serious concerns regarding allegations about unethical means used in securing the 2010 contract for AgustaWestland helicopters".The company had been given until later this week to explain whether "contractual conditions on unethical practices... have been violated", he said. Mr Cameron said: "We will respond to any request for information. I am glad that the Italian authorities are looking into this issue in detail, as Finmeccanica is an Italian company."Britain has some of the strongest anti-bribery legislation in the world and will "root out any problems of bribery and corruption wherever and whenever they appear", he added. The row is an embarrassment to the Prime Minister who has taken a large trade delegation with him on the trip, designed to increase economic co-operation between the two countries. On Monday he announced that India would become the first country in the world to benefit from a new fast-tracked same-day visa system to the UK. Mr Singh also pressed Mr Cameron on that issue, telling him India wanted "a visa regime that facilitates greater movement of people between the two countries".During their talks the two leaders agreed closer co-operation on cyber-security and nuclear energy.Mr Cameron said he was "on track" to meet his target of doubling UK-India trade by 2015. He also said that he wanted to see "rapid progress" towards the completion of an EU-India free trade agreement."The potential of this relationship is immense and we are committed to working together to make sure we realise its full potential in every regard," he said.The PM also held talks with Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, before rounding off his day at a Queen's Birthday Party event at the British High Commission, brought forward to coincide with his visit.

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Cameron grilled over ethical concerns

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