The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition by Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, seeking his release from jail. The court found no merit in his challenge to the India-UAE extradition treaty and a trial court order.
The Supreme Court has referred Christian Michel James' plea for release in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case to another bench. The Delhi High Court previously dismissed his petition, but James continues to challenge his detention and the India-UAE extradition treaty.
The stage is set for another stormy week in the Parliament. The Opposition and the government has been at loggerheads over the VVIP chopper scam since the time a Milan court gave its verdict.
The Delhi High Court has dismissed Christian Michel James's petition for release in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case, upholding his continued detention.
The Supreme Court has granted bail to alleged middleman Christian Michel James in the purported Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland case. James had been in custody for six years while the investigation was ongoing. The alleged scam relates to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland. James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai in December 2018.
Even as the Central Bureau of Investigation has decided to send a team to Italy to gather details on the VVIP chopper scam, evidence regarding links with the Emaar-MGF is slowly coming to light, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Under attack from the opposition over the controversial VVIP chopper deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said that he was ready to discuss the issue in Parliament during the Budget session beginning Thursday.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiaya has written a detailed petition to the Central Bureau of Investigation, seeking an investigation into the alleged link between Emmar MGF and AugustaWestland, the British firm embroiled in the VVIP chopper scam.
A high-level team headed by defence ministry's director general (acquisition) today left for Italy to go through the crucial documents and evidence provided to India by the government there in the Rs 362 crore VVIP chopper scam.
The government has received the first set of official documents from Italy in connection with the VVIP chopper scam including the warrants issued against former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi by authorities there.
"Within a few months we are going to change the defence procurement procedure again," Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
The Bharatiya Janata Party plans to target Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders on the issue of bribes in the AgustaWestland chopper deal during the United Progressive Alliance regime
One of the alleged middlemen in the VVIP chopper scam had asked a contact in India to target UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then NSA MK Narayanan to bag the deal, according to a document submitted in Italian court.
In a bid to corner the Congress after it launched a tirade against it for imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand, the ruling dispensation has decided to raise issues of AgustaWestland Chopper scam, Aircel Maxis scam and the Ishrat Jahan case in the Parliament on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to Christian Michel James, an alleged middlemen in the AgustaWestland chopper scam cases, who is being probed by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.
Government sources told ANI on Sunday that the ban has been lifted in dealings with the company with conditions. As per the decision, the investigation against the company by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate would continue.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday ruled out his resignation in connection with the VVIP chopper deal. He, however, said that he was sad and upset that such an incident had taken place in spite of all precautions and warnings.
India has been made a party in the VVIP chopper scam trial in Italy which is expected to begin in the third week of June. The Indian side is in the process of hiring a law firm there to present its case in the Italian trial procedures, government sources said.
Government is awaiting a report from its embassy and team in Italy to get a final picture on whether Defence Minister A K Antony has been listed as a witness in the VVIP chopper scam trial by a court there.
The ED named former Air Force Chief S P Tyagi, his two cousins, lawyer Gautam Khaitan, two Italian middlemen and Finmeccanica in its chargesheet.
Faced with the prospect of the nixing of its Rs 3,600 crore deal for the supply of 12 VVIP choppers, AgustaWestland today denied it had violated any contractual obligations in the pact for the same with IAF.
Claiming to be innocent, he said he might have some information which could enable the Indian authorities to progress with their probe into the scandal.
With references to politicians and bureaucrats coming up in the chopper scam trial in Italy, the Defence Ministry is expected to seek clarifications on the issue from alleged middleman Guido Haschke during the next hearing of the case there.
An Italian court, hearing the VVIP chopper deal scam case, has rejected India's request for documents related to the investigations into the matter, arguing that the "information is covered by secrecy".
Along with Tyagi, his cousin Sanjiv alias Julie Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan were also arrested.
Facing the prospect of cancellation of its Rs 3,600 crore deal to supply 12 VVIP choppers to the IAF, AgustaWestland has sought a meeting with the defence ministry to explain its stand on the issue.
Questioning the progress of the investigation in the chopper deal, Kejriwal alleged that there hasn't been an "inch" of movement on the probe, despite the Modi government coming to power on the assurances that the corrupt will be taken to task.
Ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi will undergo further custodial questioning for three more days as the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday told a court that AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam was a "very serious" case requiring his interrogation to unearth the larger conspiracy as the "interest of the nation was compromised".
Alleged middleman Guido Haschke had 'cleaned up' all the documents from his computer that related to the VVIP chopper deal in which kickbacks were allegedly involved with Italian investigators saying the details could open a 'Pandora's box'.
Armed with documents from Italy, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday named former air force chief S P Tyagi in its preliminary enquiry into allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, the second former defence services chief to figure in a scam probe.
Unless the name of a Congress-linked person or leader having links with the middlemen is revealed, the target of the Opposition party will remain blurred, says Sheela Bhatt
Doubting the United Progressive Alliance government's intentions in conducting an impartial probe into the VVIP chopper deal, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday demanded that a special investigation team be set up to investigate the matter under a monitoring mechanism.
The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal will once again dominate the proceedings in Parliament on Thursday.
Italian prosecutors have "shelved" proceedings against defence major Finmeccannica, the parent firm of AgustaWestland, saying it had nothing to do with the alleged corruption in India's Rs 3,600-crore deal to procure 12 VVIP helicopters, Italian news agency Ansa reported.
The Central Bureau of Investigation team which reached Italy on Tuesday to probe role of Indians in the alleged Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal scam met its lawyer and described the meeting as "useful."
Nitin Gokhale, national security expert and founder BharatShakti.in, tells us what the controversy is all about.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday sought "clarification" from Defence Minister A K Antony as to why the "Family" mentioned in middleman Guido Haschke's statement before an Italian court in the VVIP chopper deal case is being given "another meaning".
Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma is scheduled to visit London on Saturday for the ADD on Monday there where the issue of payment of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 362 crore in the deal is expected to come up, defence ministry sources said in New Delhi.
An Italian court has barred India from encashing bank guarantees worth over Rs 2,360 crore of AgustaWestland as part of the penalties imposed on it after scrapping of the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were on Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
