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India's request was rejected by Switzerland for legal assistance to investigate two Switzerland companies allegedly bribing Indian officials to win arms deals in the Rheinmetall bribery case.

Confirming the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper’s report, an office of the attorney general spokesman said on Sunday in an emailed comment that, "As the requesting authority did not deliver information requested by international assistance law, the OAG (office of the attorney general) was by law not in a position to provide information.”

“The OAG would have assisted according to international assistance law if respective requirements would have been fulfilled by the Indian authorities," he added.

Rheinmetall bribery case

In 2012 India placed Rheinmetall Air Defence AG, a Switzerland based company and part of German group Rheinmetall AG, on a blacklist of arms firms. Following corruption allegations, which were denied strongly, the company, was banned from doing business in India.

The decision to not to grant legal assistance also affected another Switzerland based company that is also under investigation in India.

In April 2012, after the final CBI report in the case the Defence ministry eventually blacklisted Rheinmetall for 10 years.

-Sumana