CBI chief, Canadian officer discuss pending Letters Rogatory

New Delhi: CBI Director Anil Sinha on Thursday held talks with Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson on pending Letters Rogatory in several cases.

The Canadian police officer was in the city to deliver the 17th D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture, held annually in the honour of the founding director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. 

The CBI is hopeful of disposal of the judicial requests to Canada that seek to examine Canadian nationals, including a witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and a businessman allegedly involved in a bribery case related to Air India.

"The issue of examining Narinder Singh, a witness in the anti-Sikh riots, as well as Nazir Karigar, suspected of involvement in an Air India bribery case, was flagged during the meeting," said a CBI source. 

"The meeting was fruitful and we are hopeful of disposal of our requests," said the source, adding that extradition of several Canadian residents accused in corruption and drug trafficking cases in India also came up for discussion. 

Karigar, a businessman in Ottawa, was in May 2014 convicted by a Canadian court for bribing officials in India with a view to bag a $100-million contract from Air India.

India and Canada have signed the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters.