NEW DELHI: Indian police arrested two top organizers of last year's tainted Commonwealth Games Wednesday as part of a widening probe into alleged graft, a report said. The two men arrested were the Games' organizing committee's director general, V. K. Verma, and its secretary general, Lalit Bhanot, the Press Trust of India and other media said. Bhanot and Verma were accused last November by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption involving a contract with a sports timing company. The police agency alleged that the men had “entered into criminal conspiracy” with Swiss Timing, the company responsible for timing events at stadiums at the Games held in New Delhi. The pair are alleged to have rigged the bidding to eliminate other contenders and award the contract to Swiss Timing. Both men have denied any wrongdoing as has the company, which was also the official time-keeper at the Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics. Bhanot hit the headlines weeks before the Oct. 3-14 Games when concerns were raised about filthy, unfinished housing at the athletes' village. “Everyone has a different standard of cleanliness,” Bhanot told reporters, adding, “The rooms of the Games village are clean according to you and me, but they (foreigners) have some other standard of cleanliness.” According to the CBI allegations, Swiss Timing supplied equipment “at exorbitant rates of 1.07 billion rupees ($23.67 million)... causing huge loss to the government.” The company has rejected all accusations against it with the director-general of Swiss Timing, Christophe Berthaud, saying: “All that is absolutely wrong.” Last month the sports ministry sacked Bhanot and Suresh Kalmadi, the Games chief, from the organising committee to enable police to conduct “impartial and unhindered investigations,” according to a ministry statement. The cost of the Delhi Games cost ballooned to an estimated $6 billion, and the event was marred by venue delays and chaotic organisation. The national anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), received complaints alleging up to $1.8 billion of Games money was misappropriated.
