From: bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu (Dov Bai-MSI Visitor)
Subject: Fraud and extortion at Concordia University (Canada) (part IV)
Organization: /usr/local/lib/news/organization
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 20:56:13 GMT

APPENDIX 1

13 February 1992

Dear Dr. Fabrikant:

Your letter addressed to "The university community", dated February 9 1992, 
which you transmitted to approximately forty individuals via the University's 
electronic mail system has been brought to my attention. 

I must advise you that it is a misuse of University property to communicate 
in this manner your dispute with the Concordia University Faculty Association, 

on what is essentially an internal matter largely related to the
administration of CUFA. 

I must also advise you that you have made some very serious allegations 
against
your colleagues which, if unsubstantiated, expose you to further action
against yourself, either by the affected persons or by the University. 

I shall forward a copy of this letter to all the individuals who, as far as I
am able to ascertain, have received your transmission. 

Yours sincerely,
(Signed)
Rose Sheinin
Vice-Rector, Academic

APPENDIX 1a

13 February 1992

Dear Dr. Fabrikant:

I was pleased to read of your success in being awarded a research grant on the
topic of 
         Interaction between an Arbitrary Point Force and a 
         Flat Elliptical Crack

    and would like to offer you my congratulations on this achievement.
Indeed, such recognition by your peers must make you very proud and rightly
so. Please accept my best wishes for the future.
 
Sincerely yours,
(signed)
Rose Sheinin, Ph.D., DSc., D.Hum.Lett., F.R.S.C.
Vice-Rector, Academic


APPENDIX 2
<<
Montr\aigu/[e]al, February 14, 1992<
<<
Dear XXXXXXXXX:
$p
This is to officially inform you, as a  Member  of  the  Board  of Governors 
of 
Concordia University, that I have evidence that the Director of CONCAVE Center 

Dr.>S.>Sankar is in the position of conflict of interest. Here is just one
fact: 
in 1985, S.>Sankar obtained a contract from Transport Canada for 
his private company S&S Inc. in the amount of $225,000. Additional money were
allocated in 1988-1989 and 1989-1990. Part of it was subcontracted to his 
brother T.S.>Sankar. None have made any technical contribution to the 
work. The work was done by other members of CONCAVE and graduate students 
paid by the university. I can present proof of other incidence of conflict of
interest. I have also evidence that Dr.>S.>Sankar's scientific contribution to
all joint publications with Drs.>Rakheja and Ahmed was zero.
$p
Rector knows about all this but prefers to cover it up. I should be grateful
if you initiate an investigation of these facts. 
<
Thank you in advance. 
<
                               $t10 Yours Sincerely,
                               <<<<
                               $t10 Dr.>V.>I.>Fabrikant<<<
Department of Mechanical Engineering<


Appendix 3

Parts of Transcript of the conversation with S.>Rakheja, September, 1990
<<
(In a previous conversation, Rakheja told Fabrikant that the contract
"Study on liquid tanker stability", in the initial amount of $$225,000 was
awarded to S.>Sankar's private company S&S Inc.)
<<
Rakheja: ....
And, apparently, what was initially awarded, was extended, to another 
phase, and to another phase, and so on.
<<
Fabrikant: And it should be published, whenever it is extended too?
<<
Rakheja: That's right, that had to be published under renewed contract, 
and extension came out in 1988-1989.
.....................................................................
<<
Rakheja: Let me tell you one thing first. One minute, let me close the door. 
OK, I want to mention one thing. Apart from Seshadri, Tom Sankar, and 
myself, nobody has this information, this is well known. 
<<
.................................................................
Rakheja: OK, look, if this information is ever to be released, OK, it is going
to be released in a court, not here-there, OK, simple as that.
<<
Fabrikant: And not by me, essentially, I hope.
<<
Rakheja: No, we will do it together in the court.
<<
....................................................................
Rakheja: ............................ I have given you the primary
source: all the other contracts are also listed in DSS (Department of Supplies 

and Services). If the worse comes to worst, I have given you a clear path 
to where get the information, DSS has everything listed.
<<
..................................................................
Rakheja: All the government contracts are listed there. Industry ones, 
of course, they do not get listed there, but they are little ones. 
<<
....................................................................
Rakheja: ........... I want to give you one information, so that I am out of
it, and you can build the case, just like you did not have information from
me. In case ... 
<<
Fabrikant: Aha, aha.
<<
Rakheja: You know, Audrey's (Williams) office sends out Research Bulletins
every couple of months where all the awards are listed? If you have those
Bulletins stored anywhere, I have them anyway, you put those against the DSS,
number one. Put those against the Progress Report you have, OK? You can 
find out which ones are reported by the Research Office, and which ones
are not reported by the Research Office, and whatever is not reported by the
Research Office, is a private contract, simple as that. 
<<
Fabrikant: Aha.
<<
Rakheja: So, I have given you a route, a simple route, so I can be out of it,
you can hit your bases, and once you find that, you can always call Research
Office and get the further information. 
<<
Fabrikant: Aha.
<<
Rakheja: So, that makes it more official with me, with me, as if I am 
not supplying any information. 
<<
.......................................................................
Fabrikant: .......................................... But as far as
Bombardier goes, how on earth would I be able to prove that the contract is
awarded to a private company if, for example, here ...
<<
Rakheja: It was reported in the Progress Report, and the Research Office has
no information on it. 
<<
..................................................................
Fabrikant: ......... why would he (Swamy) support him (S.>Sankar) that way?
<<
Rakheja: You see, it is politics.
<<
Fabrikant: It is what?
<<
Rakheja: It is politics. Swamy has a whole lot of meetings, Swamy wants to
push something, he needs the support of certain people, he has got certain
people within the faculty, who, it does not matter what Swamy wants to do,
they will support him.
<<
Fabrikant: I see.
<<
Rakheja: So, Swamy, in return, like you scratch my back, I'll scratch your 
back, that kind of things.
<<
............................................................
Fabrikant: Now, S&S was the first one (the name of a private company
founded by S.>Sankar), and the second one was SANCON or CONSAN, what was the
second name?
<<
Rakheja: OK, just a moment, please. That is Tom Sankar's?
<<
Fabrikant: Yeah, S&S.
<<
Rakheja: No, S&S is Seshadri Sankar.
<<
Fabrikant: Aha, OK.
<<
Rakheja: Second one, you were saying, was Tom Sankar's. OK, just one moment,
please.
<<
Fabrikant: OK.
<<
Rakheja: (after a while) Hi, Valery, I am trying to find that one I showed
you, here it is: CIE-TECH is another one.
<<
.....................................................
Rakheja: That you will find in 1989 DSS issue. 
<<
...................................................
<<
Rakheja: ................. The other one is CANSAN, C, A, N, S, A, N.
<<
...............................................................
<
Rakheja: Look, the information you are collecting, I think, it is a good idea
to have the information ...
<<
...........................................................
Rakheja: .......................... You know, looking at the ethics
itself, I feel morally obligated to expose these things.
<<
...........................................................................
Fabrikant: OK, good. By the way, irrelevant stuff, how to make a contact with
those in DSS? Because I have quite significant results in which they might be
interested in. The only thing, I am kind of puzzled, I think, again, I don't
know, that there must be need to give them kickbacks to get the contracts. Is
this, kind of, more or less correct assumption?
<<
Rakheja: It is, usually, the case, OK? It is very usually the case. 
.......................................This is usually the case. 
What you are saying is true: to get a contract out of CDC or DSS, this is
usually the case, that you have to, kind of, make the officer, you are dealing
with, kind of a partner, unofficial partner, and otherwise it does not work. 
As a result, what has happened, was couple of papers we published, this guy 
who was the delivery officer of the contract, he has not done any part of it,
his name (L.>Sabounghi) was added to the paper. OK? Now, that may be one 
way of a deal, that we will provide your name on the publications, OK? 
And other than that, I am not aware of anything, if there is another part 
of the deal. This was possibly one part, one side of the deal, that we were 
supposed to put his name on the papers, which we did couple of times. 
<
..............................................................
<
Rakheja: I am kind of busy doing a big chapter for one of the books, and ...
<<
Fabrikant: Oh, you are writing a chapter for a book!
<<
Rakheja: Yeah, yeah, this is one of the encyclopedia.
<<
Fabrikant: Oh, it's very good, because it is, kind of, well, it is a book
contribution, it is also important. 
<<
Rakheja: Yeah, yeah, I had this invitation last year, now the deadline has
come, another ten days, and I started only last week. 
<<
Fabrikant: And it will be yours, without any co-authorship?
<<
Rakheja: Ah, unfortunately, not. The work is the same as the contract, OK,
this chapter, I was invited to submit a chapter on that contract work. In the
community it is seen as I am the one who is doing the work, because the
publications are basically in my name, and I have been associating myself with 

SAE(?) Dynamics Committee where I have brought up a number of these things,
and through that contact I have been recognized that I am the guy who is doing
the work, and they invited me, however, the contract is in his (S.>Sankar)
name, and the graduate student was a "joint" effort ...
<<
Fabrikant: So, you have to include both of them?
<<
Rakheja: No, no, no, just Seshadri.
<<
Fabrikant: Just Seshadri ...
<<
Rakheja: Yeah.
<<
Fabrikant: At least, he goes second or he goes first?
<<
Rakheja: No, he goes second. I don't do that any more. 
I don't do that any more. 
<<
Fabrikant: Yeah?
<<
Rakheja: Second or third, that's it, but not first, if I am writing it. If a
student is writing it, then OK, fine, do whatever you want to do.
<<
....................................................................
Rakheja: ................... As a matter of fact, Ahmed has recently
started working with me, OK, which Seshadri does not like it at all, OK,
because, you see, Ahmed, he (S.>Sankar) was using him right and left to do odd
things, OK, I told him: "What the hell you are doing?" He is a capable guy,
very smart guy. Two months ago, we started a few projects jointly, took couple
of students jointly, we already sent out two papers together. This summer has
been productive for us, because, basically, we started working this
summer.
<<
Fabrikant: Without Seshadri?
<<
Rakheja: Without Seshadri.
<<
Fabrikant: He does not know about it yet?
<<
Rakheja: He is aware of it, because whenever he came down to see us, we were
together, and, kind of, discussing, and ...
<<
Fabrikant: Yeah, but he knows that you sent out papers without him?
<<
Rakheja: No, he does not know it. He does not come scare me any more, he knows
that I do not get scared. He can't scare Ahmed, he told Ahmed: "I know, you
guys are working on something, you should come and discuss with me, and we
should put a joint effort".
<<
Fabrikant: Aha.
<<
Rakheja: So, he, kind of, indirectly sent us a message: "Ok, you guys, keep
doing your work. Just mention to me, and that's enough, and put my name".
<<
.......................................................................
Fabrikant: Well, I had a graduate student too. Who, do you think, read his
thesis, and who corrected it?
<<
Rakheja: Of course, you did, I know. So, if they (S.>and>T.S.>Sankar) 
have a joint supervision, second guy is always going to do it. I have done it
too, OK? And they have hardly ever looked at it. ................