The Swiss group, a subsidiary of Swatch Group AG, which has been timekeeper at several Olympics Games, most recently at Beijing in 2008, has been named in the latest charges in a wide-ranging police probe into the Games held in October.

Two high-ranking officials, the closest aides to the unpopular chairman of the event Suresh Kalmadi, have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption, the statement issued late Tuesday said.

Police said Swiss Timing had supplied equipment "at exorbitant rates of one 1.07 billion rupees ($220,000) and thereby causing huge loss to the Government," it said.

The accused men, Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot and director general V.K. Verma, are alleged to have manipulated the bidding criteria to eliminate other bidders and award the contract to Swiss Timing.

They "entered into criminal conspiracy with a Switzerland-based company," named as Swiss Timing in the police statement.

"We seized huge amounts of incriminating documents from their residences and we are certain more details of corruption will emerge soon," a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesman told AFP.

Swiss Timing was responsible for timing events at stadiums at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

It has a long history of working on major sporting events stretching back to 1972.



Among other major events, it was the official time-keeper at the Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics.

The company also handles timekeeping for Omega at a great variety of high-range swimming events and at prestigious Grand Prix events in athletics.

It works with Longines at international equestrian competitions and maintains with the brand privileged relations with the European and World Gymnastics Federations (UEG and FIG), the Fédération internationale de ski and just entered the world of tennis in scoring the Tournoi de Roland-Garros, in Paris.

For Tissot, Swiss Timing supports the brand's timekeeper activities in association with the International Cycling Union and has also served as the official timekeeper at the World Fencing Championships, the World Hockey Championships and the Asian Games.

The Games under-fire chairman Suresh Kalmadi, a senior member of India's ruling Congress party, has not yet been quizzed by the CBI, the source added.

Both Verma and Bhanot denied any wrongdoing after detectives searched their homes on Tuesday (November 30).

The Delhi Games were hit by claims of massive financial irregularities as the budget ballooned to an estimated six billion dollars.

Last week, police arrested the sacked treasurer of the organising committee, M. Jayachandran on charges of forgery and cheating over the awarding of Games-related contracts.

Police have also charged two other former Games officials.


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