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Fourth officer charged in US Navy bribery scandal
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles (AFP) April 18, 2014


India gets new navy chief after deadly submarine fire
New Delhi (AFP) April 17, 2014 - India appointed a new navy chief on Thursday, nearly two months after his predecessor was forced to quit over a submarine accident that killed two sailors off the Mumbai coast.

The government installed Admiral Robin K. Dhowan, 59, who has been acting in the job since the previous chief resigned over the submarine fire in February, the latest in a series of accidents to hit the navy.

"He is a navigation and direction specialist who has served with distinction in an array of command(s)," said a statement announcing the appointment.

The submarine fire came six months after 18 sailors were killed when another fully-armed submarine exploded in flames and sank in a military shipyard in Mumbai.

The disaster was thought to be the navy's worst since the sinking of a frigate by a Pakistani submarine during the war with its neighbour in 1971.

Dhowan takes over the top job at a critical time for the navy, which is attempting to upgrade its ageing mostly Russian-built fleet and is facing delays in the acquisition of new submarines.

India has been stepping up efforts to guard its territorial waters especially against China, which has been expanding its reach into the Indian Ocean.

The Indian navy has 14 submarines, but only between seven and nine are operational at any one time because of regular repairs and refitting.

The Indian Express newspaper reported Thursday that Shekhar Sinha, a vice admiral who was overlooked for the top post in favour of Dhowan, could challenge his appointment in an Indian court.

Dhowan is slated to retire in two years.

A fourth US Navy officer has been charged with leaking information to a foreign defense contractor in exchange for cash and other gifts in a widening bribery scandal, officials said Thursday.

Petty Officer First Class Dan Layug, 27, was arrested Wednesday in San Diego and appeared in court Thursday, when a judge released him with GPS monitoring in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

He is accused of accepting bribes in return for giving classified and sensitive US Navy information to employees of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a defense contractor at the center of the scandal.

Layug allegedly used his position at a US Navy facility in Yokosuka, Japan, to gain access to US Navy ship schedules and other information, which he provided to GDMA's vice president of global operations.

In exchange, GDMA gave Layug monthly cash payments of $1,000 as well as electronic gadgets from a list the officer requested, including an iPad, a high-end camera, an iPhone 5, a Samsung S4 cell phone and an iPad mini.

"The camera is awesome bro! Thanks a lot! Been a while since I had a new gadget!" he allegedly wrote in an email to his GDMA contact after sending his "bucket list" of desired gadgets.

The new charges were revealed in a criminal complaint unsealed by prosecutors in San Diego on Thursday.

Last month, Singapore businessman Alex Wisidagama pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States as part of the bribery scandal involving contracting services for US Navy ships.

The 38-year-old admitted to submitting fake invoices to overcharge the US Navy for fuel, port tariffs and other services.

He was the second person to plead guilty in the case that has rocked the US Navy and ensnared several officers, fueling concerns about a possible ethics crisis in the military's senior ranks.

In December, former Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent John Beliveau admitted providing the ship supply company with sensitive information in return for cash, hotel rooms and prostitutes.

Wisidagama is due to be sentenced on June 13. His cousin Leonard Francis, who owns the ship supply firm GDMA, is a key player in the case.

According to prosecutors, officers dubbed Francis "Fat Leonard" for his girth and his penchant for allegedly showering favors on sailors in return for preferential treatment for his firm.

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