The CBI on Wednesday initiated a formal probe into the allegation by Army Chief General V K Singh that he was offered a 14-crore rupees bribe by a retired officer to clear a tranche of sub-standard vehicles. CBI sources said, the agency began a preliminary inquiry after receiving a complaint from the Army Chief .

A preliminary inquiry is done before registering an FIR but during this initial probe the agency does not have powers to question, search or arrest a suspect. The agency had yesterday received a complaint from Gen. Singh giving details of the alleged bribery offer made to him by retired Lt General Tejinder Singh, who has denied the charge. After getting legal opinion, the agency decided to proceed with a preliminary inquiry.

The Army Chief had claimed that an equipment lobbyist had offered him a bribe , a matter he had reported to Defence Minister A K Antony. The ministry had then recommended a CBI probe into the allegation made by the General. After nearly 10 days, Singh yesterday sent the complaint to the CBI in which he had given detailed description of the incident during which he was allegedly offered bribe.

Tejinder Singh has refuted the allegations levelled by the General and also filed a defamation case against the Army Chief and other officers.