William West/Agence France-Presse â€" Getty Images Suresh Kalmadi rubbing his eyes during a press conference in New Delhi, in this Oct. 5, 2010 file photo. Suresh Kalmadi, the former chief organizer of the 2010 scandal that marred the Commonwealth Games, was charged Monday with cheating, conspiracy and causing a loss of more than $16 million to taxpayers by a Delhi court.
Investigators arrested Mr. Kalmadi in 2011 after uncovering what they said were irregularities in the awarding of contracts for the international sporting event. He had been released from the notorious Tihar Jail on bail last January.
Mr. Kalmadi was charged, along with nine others, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act, with the charges also including offenses related to forgery, criminal intimidation and destruction of evidence, the Times of India newspaper reported.
Mr. Kalmadi is accused of conspiring to steer an inflated contract to a Swiss firm that provided timing equipment for the Commonwealth Games. Investigators had previously said that the organizing committee for the games awarded a $33 million contract to the Swiss firm, even though the actual cost should have been roughly a third of that.
The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 20 in a special fast-track court set up just for corruption cases. The wide range of charges against Mr. Kalmadi, and the high-profile nature of the case, could make this one of the most followed corruption trials in re! cent Indian history.
While other scandals may have involved more money, the very public, international embarrassment the case brought to India in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games has made Mr. Kalmadi a symbol of a corrupt bureaucracy, even though he has yet to go to trial.
If Mr. Kalmadi is found guilty he could serve up to a life term in prison.
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