A year before the defence ministry asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe BEML's role in the supply of Tatra trucks to the armed forces, it had directed the state-run company to acquire a strategic stake in the truck maker. According to BEML, about a year ago in 2010-11, a secretary in the defence ministry had advised the company to consider picking up stake in Tatra to have control over its technology and to maximise local production. The company had subsequently appointed Dun & Bradstreet to study Tatra's operations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.