A USD 208-million Embraer jet deal of the UPA era has come under the scanner of the US authorities over alleged kickbacks paid to secure the contract.

The deal was inked in 2008 between the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer and the the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for three aircraft equipped with indigenous radars for AEW&C (airborne early warning and control systems).

The company has been under investigation by the United States Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans’ suspicions. “Investigations that have been opened by the government of the United States to establish whether Embraer paid bribes in order to obtain contracts abroad have affected deals that the Brazilian company closed with Saudi Arabia and India,” Brazilian newspaper Folha De São Paulo reported.

It is suspected that a leading Indian middleman based in UK was roped in for the deal. Defence Ministry officials here said that the DRDO is yet to hear anything on the probe by the US authorities. DRDO chief S Christopher, who headed the AEW&S programme earlier, did not pick up calls or respond to messages. Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries