VVIP Chopper deal: Open NBW issued against UK national accused

[Hindustani78]

VVIP Chopper deal: Open NBW issued against UK national accused
New Delhi, Sep 24, 2015 (PTI)

A Delhi court today issued an open non-bailable warrant (NBW) against British national Christian Michel James, an accused in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal case, after the CBI said he was required for questioning to ascertain crucial aspects in the matter.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain allowed the contentions of the agency which said James, who as per the information by the UK authorities is presently staying in Dubai, was needed to be quizzed in the case to know how much amount he had received as "commission" in the entire deal.

"In view of the above submissions, open dated non- bailable warrants be issued against accused Christian Michel James," the court said.

The court fixed October 1 to consider CBI's application seeking issuance of Letter Rogatory to competent authority in Mauritius for assistance in probe and collection of documents related to the case.

CBI alleged that M/s AgustaWestland International Ltd and group firms of M/s Finmeccanica had engaged James and others as agents on "huge payment of commission/kickback to cause favour to M/s AgustaWestland International Ltd" in the matter.

The agency claimed that certain documents, appeared to have been prepared by James, were seized by Swiss authorities during searches in a similar matter, which included a "handwritten budget sheet" stated to be written by James.

It said the document showed that "the amount of Euro 30 million have been or was to be paid as illegal gratification to various persons associated in the said procurement, and others which include public/Government servants, politicians, etc. However, this document is in coded form."

The agency claimed that various reports on developments in the procurement process, sent by James to his authorities in Italy from time to time, and the pull and push being applied by him through various channels for it, were also part of the documents seized by the Swiss authorities.

It said that sustained custodial examination of James was "very essential for furtherance of investigation of this case to know the role played by him in the procurement of 12 VVIP/ non-VIP helicopter deal, to identify his accomplices and associates who might have helped him in the said procurement."

CBI also alleged that the investigation and proceedings in the Italian Court in this matter has revealed that James was "working as consultant/agent in India for AW101 helicopter deal" and pursuing the matter at different levels during the procurement process.

The agency claimed that James was also updating details to other accused about efforts being made at his end. He was also intimating them about the developments on the files of Defence Ministry relating to the procurement of helicopters.

"It is also relevant to know how much amount had he (James) received as commission for this deal from these companies, decoding the names of various persons as in the recovered 'budget sheet' and how much amount he had paid to various persons for this deal," it said.

"It is also relevant to know where he had parked the commission amounts, how he had secured the influence of various persons in India for the said procurement and how he was sending the progress reports to officials and other private persons involved in the deal from M/s AgustaWestland, or etc," the CBI said.

"Based on this arrest warrant, the Interpol India would be requested to issue a Red Corner Notice against Christian Michel James and execute the said warrant," it said.

The agency also said that Letter Rogatory of August 29, 2014, issued by the court in this case, have already been sent to UK and UAE authorities for their execution.

Former IAF chief S P Tyagi is also one of the key accused in case.
Tyagi, his cousins Sanjeev alias Julie, Rajeev alias Docsa and Sandeep, European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel James and Guido Haschke are among 13 individuals named as accused in the CBI FIR.

CBI, in its FIR, has booked all the accused under the provisions of IPC relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

CBI, in its FIR, has alleged that during his tenure as Air Chief, Tyagi and "with his approval", the Air Force had "conceded to reduce the service ceiling for VVIP helicopters from 6000 metres to 4500 metres as mandatory" to which it was opposing vehemently on the grounds of security constraints and other related reasons.

It said reduction of service ceiling -- maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally -- allowed UK-based AgustaWestland to get into the fray as, otherwise, its choppers were not qualified for submission of bids.

CBI also alleged that AgustaWestland managed to introduce a comparative flight trial with non-functional engine and eventually succeeded in getting the contract for supply of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from the Defence Ministry mainly due to softening of the IAF on service ceiling, after Tyagi took over as its chief.

Two new names, which were not part of the agency's preliminary enquiry, have also been included in the FIR. They include Satish Bagrodia and Pratap Kishan Aggarwal, CBI said.
Six companies including Italy-based Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland, Mohali-based IDS Infotech, Aeromatrix, IDS Tunisia and IDS Mauritius have been booked by CBI in its FIR.

Aeromatrix CEO Praveen Bakshi, former Finmeccanica Chairman Giuseppe Orsi, former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and legal advisor and former board member of IDS Infotech Gautam Khaitan are also named as accused.
All the accused have denied the CBI's allegations against them.

 

[Hindustani78]

VVIP chopper deal: ED attaches assets of ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi's family | Zee News

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached five expensive flats in and around the national capital in the name of cousins of former IAF chief S P Tyagi in connection with its money laundering probe into the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP choppers deal.

The agency, in its order issued against the Tyagi brothers-- Sanjeev, Sandeep and Rajeev, said its investigations found that the "proceeds of crime" of this deal were allegedly used by them in the acquisition of these properties which have now been seized under law.

"Following painstaking investigations, five immovable properties of Tyagi brothers worth Rs 6.20 crore have been provisionally attached," the ED said in a statement here.

The attached assets include a flat in phase-V in Gurgaon, two others in Sector-50 of Noida, one such property in the upmarket K G Marg area of Delhi and a 5th-floor flat in a business centre in Kaushambi in adjoining Ghaziabad.

Sources said the stated value of these posh dwellings is just the book price and the actual market value could be many times more than this amount.

The agency had registered a criminal case in this deal last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and has said that about Rs 423 crore (58 million Euro) was allegedly paid by European businessmen Christian Michel, Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke to swing the deal in favour of AgustaWestland in UK, a subsidiary of Ms Finmeccanica, Italy.

The deal, which was scrapped by the government following allegations of corruption, was inked to purchase 12 advanced helicopters for use by Indian VVIPs and the procurement amount was Rs 3,600 crore.

The agency alleged that a bribe money of 10.50 lakh Euro (about Rs 7.68 crore) was paid by the alleged middlemen to Tyagi brothers in two tranches, first by way of bank transfer and then in cash.

The investigation, the ED said, revealed that "out of the aforesaid kickbacks, payment of Euro 10,50,000 was made to Sanjeev Tyagi, Sandeep Tyagi and Rajeev Tyagi and their companies by Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa through their companies Ms Gordian Services Sarl, Tunisia and Ms IDS Tunisia.

"The payment of Euro 4,05,625 (about to Rs 2.49 cr) to Tyagi brothers was made through the banking channel between 2004-2011 and remaining payment of Euro 6,44,975 (equivalent to about Rs 4.50 cr) was made in cash during April-December 2011 following signing of contract on February 2, 2010 for supply of 12 VVIP helicopters," it said.

 

[Hindustani78]

VVIP chopper deal: Tyagi’s kin took €1.05 million: ED - The Hindu
Updated: October 2, 2015 00:37 IST
Agency attaches prime properties estimated at Rs.6.2 crore
The former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi’s cousins and their firms received €1.05 million in kickbacks from AgustaWestland-UK through middlemen to help swing the Rs. 3,700-crore VVIP chopper deal in its favour, the Enforcement Directorate has said.

The directorate has provisionally attached five prime properties in Kaushambi and Noida in Uttar Pradesh and in Gurgaon in Haryana, worth Rs.6.2 crore on paper, allegedly belonging to Sanjeev, Sandeep and Rajeev Tyagi. “In connection with the procurement of 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian firm Finmeccanica, a bribe of about 58 million euros was allegedly paid through Christian Michel, Carlo Gerosa and Guido Ralph Haschke [alleged middlemen]. It was alleged that the kickback amount was paid to various people who helped in the deal,” said the ED statement.

ED investigations revealed that €1.05 million from the amount was paid to the three cousins of the former Air Chief Marshal, by Haschke and Gerosa through their Tunisia-based companies, Gordian Services Sarl and IDS Tunisia, mostly in the guise of consultancy charges.

“Payment €4.05 lakh (about Rs. 2.49 crore) to the Tyagi brothers was made through the banking channel between 2004 and 2011 and the remaining amount was paid in cash between April 2011 and December 2011 after the contract was signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of 12 helicopters,” said an ED spokesperson.

The money was used by the Tyagis to acquire properties. “Following painstaking investigations, five immovable properties of the Tyagi brothers, worth Rs. 6.2 crore, have been provisionally attached. Further investigations are under way,” he said.

The Indian government scrapped the chopper deal in January 2014 after Italian prosecutors alleged that the company hired the services of middlemen to facilitate the contract. While the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case against the former Air Chief Marshal, his three cousins and a few others in March 2013, the ED initiated the money laundering probe in July last year.

A year ago, the directorate arrested one Gautam Khaitan for his alleged role in routing funds through a Chandigarh-based company Aeromatrix and Mauritius-based firm Interstellar.

Haschke and Gerosa had also roped in Mohali-based IDS-India to route the funds on the pretext of awarding them engineering contracts. AgustaWestland made IDS-India a Tunisia subsidiary for the purpose.

Between November 2007 and April 2010, IDS-India allegedly received €2.1 million from AgustaWestland. The money was received through the Tunisia firm, whereas the work was executed by IDS-India. Also, there was allegedly a significant difference between the bills raised for per-manpower remuneration and the actual receipts.

Mr. Haschke and Mr. Gerosa later acquired IDS-Tunisia, following which Aeromatrix was incorporated and the business of IDS-India transferred to the new entity. The ED has alleged that 82 per cent Aeromatrix shares were held by IDS-Mauritius and 17 per cent by Mr. Khaitan.

 

[Hindustani78]

VVIP Chopper deal: Court issues Letter Rogatory to Mauritius | Zee News


New Delhi: A special court on Wednesday issued a Letter Rogatory (LR) to the competent authority in Mauritius to assist the CBI in its probe into the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal case.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain allowed the plea filed by the agency, seeking issuance of LR (a letter of formal request from a court to a foreign court) to Mauritius for assistance in its probe and collection of documents relating to the case.

The court on September 24 had issued an open non-bailable warrant against British national Christian Michel James, an accused in the case who is absconding, after the CBI said he was required for questioning to ascertain crucial aspects in the matter.

Former IAF chief SP Tyagi, his cousins -- Sanjeev alias Julie, Rajeev alias Docsa and Sandeep, European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel James and Guido Haschke are among 13 individuals named as accused in the CBI FIR.


CBI, in its FIR, has booked all the accused under the provisions of IPC relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In its FIR, CBI has alleged that during his tenure as the Air Chief, Tyagi, and "with his approval", the Air Force had "conceded to reduce the service ceiling for VVIP helicopters from 6000 metres to 4500 metres as mandatory", which it was opposing vehemently on the grounds of security constraints and other reasons.

It had claimed that the reduction of service ceiling -- the maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally -- had allowed UK-based AgustaWestland to get into the fray as, otherwise its choppers were not qualified for submission of bids.

PTI

 

[Hindustani78]

Chopper deal case: NBWs issued against two Italians | Zee News

New Delhi: A special court on Monday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against two Italian nationals who were alleged middlemen in Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal case after ED said they were required to be interrogated to ascertain the money trail.

Special CBI Judge Ajay Kumar Jain issued open NBWs against Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, the two accused, after ED's special prosecutor NK Matta said that their custodial interrogation was required as some new facts have emerged during the probe.

Matta also said that some important documents have been received from the Swiss authorities as well as from Italy and both the accused were required to be interrogated about them.

The court, after hearing the submissions, issued the NBWs against Gerosa and Haschke who were named in the case lodged by ED as well as CBI which is running a parallel probe in the matter.

The court had earlier issued open NBW against British national Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the deal, on two separate pleas filed by ED and CBI.

ED had earlier claimed in the court that Agusta Westland had allegedly paid a "kickback" of around 70 million Euros, out of which around 30 million Euros was paid to James and his firm Global Services FZE, Dubai, while Gerosa and Haschke had cornered the rest.

ED had in July 2014 lodged a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against several persons who were named in CBI's FIR registered earlier.

In November last year, ED had filed a charge sheet in the case against businessman Gautam Khaitan and others, including Gerosa and Haschke.

CBI had named a number of persons in its FIR in the case who include former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi.

Tyagi, and others, including Gerosa, James and Haschke are among the 13 individuals named as accused in CBI's FIR.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/585881/tyagis-arrest-unfortunate-dents-our.html

Air Chief Arup Raha today described the arrest of former IAF chief S P Tyagi as "unfortunate", and said that it has "dented" the force's reputation.

"Very unfortunate that such an episode has taken place. It does dent our reputation as a professional force. But we believe in the rule of law," Raha told reporters at a function at the city airport.

"I am sure every Indian citizen believes in rule of law and the due process is on," he said , adding "whatever is the final verdict we will go by that".

He refused to speak further on the issue, saying the matter is sub-judice.

In a sudden and first-of-its-kind action, CBI yesterday arrested Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev, and lawyer Gautam Khaitan in the sensational Rs 450 crore Agusta Westland bribery case in procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters.

71-year old Tyagi, who retired in 2007, was called for questioning at CBI Headquarters along with his cousin and Khaitan, who were taken into custody after nearly four hours of grilling, CBI sources said.

These are the first arrests in the case by CBI, three years after it registered an FIR in 2013 to probe the allegations in the aftermath of the details of the scam emerged in Italy where the prosecutors levelled allegations of corruption in the deal against the chief of Finmeccanica, the parent company of Agusta Westland.

 

[Sloth 22]

This is crucial. CBI should get hold of those who operated the remote.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...per-scandal/article14260615.ece?homepage=true

Angry exchanges between the Congress and ruling BJP members over Subramanian Swamy bringing up Sonia Gandhi’s name in Parliament over the AgustaWestland helicopter contract bribery case led to two adjournments of the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The BJP has been targeting UPA leaders after an Italian court, on April 7, >found evidence of corruption in the helicopter deal between the Indian Air Force and Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland.

Association dates back to the 1980s

Back in 1985, India bought 21 Westland helicopters after then British Margaret Prime Minister Thatcher persuaded her Indian counterpart Rajiv Gandhi to ignore the advice of his experts, who were against the sale. The money for the deal, put at nearly £65 million, came out of Britain’s aid budget, and was given to India specifically for purchasing the helicopters. Westland at the time was a solely British aerospace company that had been manufacturing helicopters after World War II. However, the copters that were sold proved to be a disaster — two of them crashed in August 1988 and February 1989, killing over 10 passengers.

In 1991, the helicopters were withdrawn from service on safety grounds, after a number of subcommittee reviews, by the Director-General of Civil Aviation. In 1993, Pawan Hans, the state-owned helicopter firm that operated the Westland copters, put out a global tender for the defective helicopters. Eventually, British firm AES Aerospace emerged as the sole bidder, and the entire fleet of Westland helicopters was packaged off to Britain for the scrap value of just £900,000.

Tracking the transactions:

August 1999: Air HQ proposes procurement of VIP helicopters

February 2010: Ministry of Defence concludes a contract with AgustaWestland for 12 VVIP choppers at euro 556.262 million (Rs. 3,726.96 crore)


November 2012 to February 2013: First three VVIP AgustaWestland helicopters >arrive at Palam Air Force base.

The Rs. 3,600-crore deal with Italy’s Finmeccanica, marred by allegations of bribery, has created an air of uncertainty for the delivery of the remaining nine AW 101 helicopters to the IAF. File photo

specifications in the helicopter tender were crafted to suit the AW101, including the lowering of the operational altitude from 18,000 feet to 15,000 feet. A requirement for flying after losing power in an engine was also allegedly added to favour the AW101, the only competitor with three engines. Former IAF Chief Shashi Tyagi has denied all wrongdoing, claiming the specifications were changed before he became head of the Air Force.

The IAF selected the three-engined AW 101 for its VIP squadron in 2010. The delivery of the 12 helicopters would have been completed by 2013-end. However, the Defence Ministry has put on hold the delivery of the remaining nine choppers. Sources said that IAF has put up the infrastructure and its pilots have also received training in the U.K. over the past year. The IAF also recently got spares for the three helicopters which have to be kept ready and flying lest the machines get stranded and rusted, the sources said.

“However, the government has to take a decision on allowing delivery of the remaining nine helicopters,” they added.

The Indian Defence Ministry will have ringside seats for the trial as it has signed up as a civil party to the proceedings, ensuring its lawyers have access to prosecution evidence.

“For the defense, spokesman Amodio has requested about 50 potential witnesses, including Mr. Tyagi, who may be called to testify about the competition, Phillippe Harache, the former deputy CEO of Eurocopter. Christopher Kubasik, former chief operating officer at Lockheed Martin, and Australian truck and logistics millionaire Lindsay Fox may be called to testify about Mr. Orsi’s professional track record,’’ the report said.

Geoff Hoon, the former U.K. Defence Secretary and now AgustaWestland manager; Tony Pawson, the head of the U.K. Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO); and Jackie Calcutt, a former DESO official now working for AgustaWestland in India, have been listed to give evidence about the Indian defence market. Also on the list is Ratan Tata, former chairman of the Tata Group, the report said but did not elaborate.

The CBI has already booked Mr. Tyagi, his three cousins, and nine others, including the two companies, and European middlemen, involved in the alleged kickbacks of around Rs. 362 crore.

In all, two Swiss middlemen, Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa were paid commissions totalling some 56 million Euros through an elaborate system of fake billing using fictitious IT companies based in Mauritius and Tunisia.



February 12, 2013: Finmeccanica chief Giuseppe Orsi, accused in VVIP chopper scam, arrested by Italian police for alleged payoffs.

February 25, 2013: The CBI >registers inquiry against 11 persons, including former IAF Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, and his cousins, besides four companies, for alleged kickbacks by AgustaWestland. A government statement confirms that the contract signed with AgustaWestland includes specific contractual provisions against bribery and the use of undue influence as well as an Integrity Pact.

A charge sheet compiled by the prosecutor’s office in Busto Arsizio, a massive 64-page document that contains transcripts of conversations, details of allegedly “fictitious” bills submitted in order to inflate prices and siphon off bribes, etc., says €100,000 was given to Tyagi brothers. The charge sheet also gives details of “fictitious” bills emitted by IDS India from 2007 to 2011 for a total of 21,425,647.00 Euros. For instance in 2008, the list of bills and their reference numbers mention the sums of 900,000 Euros (6.11.2008), listed as “advance payment according to article 7.3 of the “agreement”, 170,000 Euros (12.2008) as “first monthly payment according to article 2 of the “agreement” and 255,000 Euros (31.12.2008) listed as “second monthly payment according to article 2 of the “agreement”. The payments continue according to “the agreement” until 2011.

February 27, 2013: The government moves a motion in the Rajya Sabha for the >formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) “to inquire into the allegations of payment of bribes in the acquisition of VVIP helicopters by the Ministry of Defence from M/s AgustaWestland and the role of alleged middlemen in the transaction.”

January 2014: India >terminates VVIP chopper deal on the grounds of breach of pre-contract integrity pact. Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy is named arbitrator. Following the termination, Agusta denies wrongdoing and issues this statement: “AgustaWestland has not received any communication from India’s Ministry of Defence in line with the reports today. The company is, therefore, unable to comment beyond reiterating the denial of allegations of wrongdoing and the continued intention to robustly defend its reputation.”

In December, Mr. Antony told the Rajya Sabha that the Central Bureau of Investigation was probing the scam and that it had registered a case against six firms — Finmeccanica, Italy; AgustaWestland, U.K.; IDS Tunisia; Infotech Design System (IDS Mauritius); IDS infotech Ltd., Chandigarh; and AeromatrixInfotech Solution, India. The CBI, he said, had not filed a charge sheet.

January 11, 2014: >Mysterious initials crop up in AgustaWestland trial. Eugenio Fusco, the Public Prosecutor conducting trial, asks a alleged middleman, Ralph Guido Haschke, if the initials ‘AP’ in one of the documents refers to Ahmed Patel, senior Congressman and Sonia Gandhi confidant.



September, 2014: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) >makes first arrest in the money laundering probe. Gautam Khaitan, a former board member of a Chandigarh-based tech firm named in the case, is arrested for his alleged role in routing funds for kickbacks.

October, 2014: Mr. Orsi and ex-AgustaWestland head Bruno Spagnolini are >acquitted of corruption charges by an Italian court. But the two are sentenced to a two-year jail term on charges of falsification of invoices.

April 7, 2016: An Italian court reverses the acquittal of executives of Finmeccanica.The unofficial translation of the order shows evidence of corruption in the helicopter deal between IAF and Finmeccanica. The order also says that some of the kickbacks travelled to India as payment for various officials. The court says former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi is probably among those who benefited from the kickbacks. The court order also has some evidence mentioning the names of Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, but there is no evidence that they were bribed. Nor does the court order indict the three.

April 26, 2016: BJP targets Congress leaders over recently found evidence of corruption. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says, “Bribe givers have been convicted. Why are bribe takers silent? Antony [the then Defence Minister] should answer if leaders of Congress are involved in it or not. Are they from your party or not? Please come clean.”

April 26, 2016: Accused middleman in the deal, James Christian Michel, >says he is willing to answer all questions from Indian investigators. Mr. Michel tells The Hindu, “I think this is the only way to settle this, a direct questioning. I wish the CBI or ED would come here. Because I can be helpful with documentation.” He claims that he has sent a written offer in the case to Prime Minister Narendra Modi but hasn’t received a reply.

December 9, 2016: CBI arrests retired Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjiv Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/sp-t...like-a-common-criminal-arup-raha_1961902.html

New Delhi: Describing former IAF chief S P Tyagi as a "sound professional", Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today said he should not have been treated like a "common criminal".

Tyagi, arrested on December 9 in AgustaWestland chopper scam case, was today granted bail by a special court here.


Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar granted the relief to Tyagi on a personal bond of Rs two lakh and one surety of like amount.

"You know, it is sub-judice so it won't be right for me to say anything. But, it is very unfortunate, I think for sure, that a person of his stature has been indicted by the CBI and other investigating agencies. He has been put under custody," Raha told NDTV's "Walk the Talk" programme.

He said the arrest "obviously" hurts the morale of the people of the armed forces.

"I can't say it doesn't dent our image or reputation. It definitely does and I am sure we will go by the law of the land. And the judicial process will be completed on the (basis of) evidence produced. I will be very happy if he can acquit himself because for the reason that he is the former chief," he said.

Talking about his personal rapport with Tyagi, Raha said he has worked under him.

"I have worked with him as well. So I knew him quite well. Professionally, he is very sound and it is very unfortunate that this kind of accusations are there. It does dent our reputation. We are just hoping that the thing gets settled quickly this way or the other. Whatever is the decision of the court or the judicial process, we will go by that. We will accept it," he said.

Asked if he agreed that he should not have been kept with common criminals, Raha replied saying he agrees.

"I don't know the exact evidences that the investigating agencies have but if they could treat him a little more respectfully I would be be very happy," he said.


First Published: Monday, December 26, 2016 - 20:16

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/588720/cannot-pin-blame-just-one.html

New Delhi, Dec 28, 2016 (PTI)

In the backdrop of corruption allegations against former IAF chief S P Tyagi in the VVIP chopper scam, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today said multiple agencies are involved in the procurement process and no one can pin the blame on one particular organisation or service.


Tyagi, who was given bail recently, has always maintained that all decisions were taken collectively and it is wrong to solely blame him.

IAF Chief Raha, who was asked about corruption charges plaguing defence deals, also lamented that despite probes into the alleged scams over the decades, not much could be achieved by the investigating agencies to bring to justice people involved in corrupt practices.

"If these corruption charges are proved, it is bad for the armed forces, or whoever is involved. It is not just the armed forces who are involved in the procurement.

"There are so many agencies who are involved. Therefore you cannot pin the blame on one particular organisation or service," Raha said speaking to reporters just days before he demits office on December 31.

Tyagi has said that senior officials of the Defence Ministry, the Special Protection Group as well the Prime Minister's Office besides others were part of the decision making process along with him.

Raha argued that the procurement process in the IAF is more stringent than any other service.

He said till the time a person is convicted, "I think we should give him due" but if a person is found guilty, there will be "no sympathy" for him.

"A former air force chief is like a family member, extended family member. If anybody in my family goes through a rough patch, I think we should stand by that person. And if the charges are proved, then we have no sympathy for him. Whatever charges are proved, whatever convictions are there, we will abide by it," he said.

Raha said that every decade has its own share of defence scandals. "Despite investigations, not much could be achieved by the investigating agencies to pin down people who are involved in corrupt practices," he said.

The court which had given bail to Tyagi had ticked off the CBI for not presenting proper evidence to deny him bail.

Talking about the procurement process in the IAF, the air chief said they have very clear cut procedures to be followed.

"We are very well trained professionals who deal with acquisition or procurements. We have test pilots, test engineers, it is not not so for other services, I can tell you that," he said.

Raha stressed that air force professionals are dealing with the subject very diligently and professionally.

"And wherever we have to exercise our specialist skills to give an opinion, we do it very diligently. We have a lot of mechanisms to review each and every procurement that we do. There are many stages of oversight," he said.

He said that the IAF currently is reinforcing whatever is done is the past."We are continuing with the process. We are having better oversight," Raha said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...agusta-deal/story-5z3q47tmErhBUD7daCFhfL.html

Bribes to the tune of around 14 million euros were channelled through alleged middleman Christian Michel to powerful politicians in India to swing the VVIP chopper deal in favour of AgustaWestland and a set of bureaucrats also got another 14 million euros through two other middleman in the scam, CBI sources told Hindustan Times.

“Bribes in the AgustaWestland deal were routed through two channels. The politicians got bribes through the channel opened by Christian Michel and bribes to bureaucrats and other brokers were paid from the channel operated by two other middlemen — Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke,” a CBI official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said CBI will file its first chargesheet within the stipulated 60 days, counted from the day of the first arrest.

The CBI made first arrests — of former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev alias Julie, and lawyer Gautam Khaitan — on December 9 on the charges of receiving and facilitating bribes in the Rs 3,727-crore deal to buy 12 AgustaWestland choppers for ferrying senior government dignitaries.

“We have tracked the route of bribe money that went through both the channels. Michel-operated channel got around 30 million euros as commission and out of which around 14 million euros were paid to politicians to clinch the deal in favour of AgustaWestland.

“The second channel operated through Gerosa and Haschke routed another 14 million euros for bureaucrats and other brokers as part of the commission from the deal,” said the official.

The CBI investigation revealed that Haschke and Gerosa in all got 28 million euros from the Italy-based Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland.

As far as SP Tyagi and his cousins are concerned, the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money laundering part of the scam, has formally charged that Haschke and Gerosa through their companies — Gordian Services Sarl and IDS (both registered in Tunisia) paid at least 10.5 lakh euros to Sanjeev Tyagi, Sandeep Tyagi and Rajiv Tyagi (cousins of SP Tyagi).

The ED probe found that the payment of 4,05,625 euros (around Rs 2.49 crore) was made through banking channel to the Tyagi brothers between 2004 and March, 2011 and remaining payment of 6,44,975 euros (around Rs 4.5 crore) was made in cash between April, 2011 to December, 2011.

The Tyagis have denied the charges.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nati...per-deal-some-journalists-under-sc-radar.html

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear the plea for a SIT probe against some journalists for writing in favour of Agusta Westland VVIP chopper deal after being purportedly paid by the company.

The apex court also sought a response from Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate on PIL alleging that journalists were paid Rs. 50 crore for writing in favour of the deal.

The CBI, however, is not able to ascertain the exact amount of money allegedly paid to former Air Chief S.P. Tyagi, the main accused in the case

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Arun Mishra agreed to hear noted journalist and author Hari Jaisingh's plea that the top court should intervene in the ongoing investigation of the CBI and ED and direct the two agencies to submit a status report on whether the media played a role in influencing the deal for VVIP helicopters.

The court asked Jaisingh, represented by senior advocate Geeta Luthra, to provide the CBI and ED with copies of his petition.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/agus...warrant-against-christian-michel_1965211.html

ANI | Last Updated: Saturday, January 7, 2017 - 14:56
New Delhi: The Patiala House Court in Delhi on Saturday issued a non-bailable warrant against British national Christian Michel James and re-issued summons against a company and two other accused in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal scam.

The summons were issued as all the accused failed to appear before the court.

Next date for the hearing has been scheduled for February 22.

The Enforcement Directorate in June last year had filed a fresh charge sheet against James and three others, including the company in its ongoing money laundering probe in the VVIP chopper scam.

The ED counsel told the court that there was enough evidence against the accused to initiate proceedings.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, Media Exim is a shell company of James and incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks.

The Enforcement Directorate found that of the alleged kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE.

James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country.


First Published: Saturday, January 7, 2017 - 14:54

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...notice-to-sanjeev-tyagi-on-cbis-plea-4467768/

By: PTI | New Delhi | Published:January 10, 2017 2:05 pm

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to former IAF chief S P Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev Tyagi on CBI’s plea challenging the bail granted to him in the AgustaWestland chopper scam case. Justice I S Mehta fixed the petition for further hearing on January 18, when it is schedule to hear plea against S P Tyagi, who was granted bail by the trial court on December 26 last year.

The court fixed the plea for January 18 after CBI’s standing counsel Sanjeev Bhandari told the court that similar arguments were made during hearing of the plea against ex-IAF chief.

He further submitted that there is urgency, so the court should fix the matter for same date.

The agency has approached the high court against the trial court’s January 4 order, by which bail was granted to Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan in the scam, saying that no purpose would be served by keeping them in custody.

As of Tuesday CBI has moved high court only against Tyagis, on the ground that they could allegedly “hamper” the probe.

The CBI has alleged that Sanjeev Tyagi could “hamper” its probe and “alert” other accused if he remained out of custody.

71-year old S P Tyagi, who was arrested by CBI on December 9, 2016 along with Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan in the case relating to alleged irregularities in procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based AgustaWestland during the UPA-2 regime, was granted bail by a trial court on December 26 last year.

During the earlier hearing, the agency had claimed in the high court that if S P Tyagi remained out on bail, he could “alert other potential accused”.

The agency had also said that its probe was “multi-layered” as it was spread across several countries since various companies were allegedly used to “camouflage the bribe money”.

A trial court had granted bail to S P Tyagi, who had retired as IAF chief in 2007, saying CBI has failed to state the alleged bribe amount and when it was paid.The trial court had also said that no purpose would be served by keeping the three accused behind the bars.

All the accused have denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/sp-tyagis-offence-shamed-country-cbi-to-delhi-hc-4467237/

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Published:January 10, 2017 5:06 am

During arguments seeking cancellation of bail granted to former Air Chief SP Tyagi in the alleged AgustaWestland chopper scam case, the CBI counsel on Monday told the Delhi High Court that Tyagi “has committed a serious offence” which “shames the country” and the order passed by the trial court granting him bail was “illegal”.

The CBI claimed before Justice I S Mehta that the accused was trying to delay the proceedings before the high court as several other persons, who are involved in the case, want him to remain out of jail. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 18.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/two-more-accused-get-bail-in-agustawestland-case_1983335.html

New Delhi: A court here on Saturday granted bail to two more accused in the case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore ($528 million) AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the bail pleas of Delhi-based Media Exim Pvt. Ltd`s director RK Nanda and former director JB Subramaniyam on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh and sureties of the like amount each.

After considering a supplementary charge sheet in the case, the court had earlier said there were sufficient evidence against Nanda and Subramaniyam under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June last year filed a fresh chargesheet against British national Christian Michel James, Media Exim, Nanda and Subramaniyam in its ongoing money laundering probe into the helicopter deal.

According to the ED, Media Exim is a shell company of James and allegedly incorporated for facilitating transactions of kickbacks paid to James by Finmeccanica, a group firm of AgustaWestland.

James allegedly received around Rs 225 crore as kickbacks from AgustaWestland for the deal inked for the purchase of 12 helicopters in the guise of transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country.

The agency is said to have found that of the kickbacks received by James, Rs 6.33 crore was routed to India through his shell company Media Exim from his Dubai-based Global Services FZE.

"Nanda and Subramaniyam were appointed Directors of Media Exim Pvt. Ltd., who willingly and knowingly connived with James and helped him in acquiring immovable and movable properties or assets in Delhi, which have already been attached," the ED had said.

ED and CBI had also notified an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against James after a city court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Investigators said James is currently staying in Dubai.

Earlier the court had granted bail to other accused in the case, including former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer and businessman Gautam Khaitan.

The first charge sheet was filed in the case in November 2014 against Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and Gerosa and Haschke.


First Published: Saturday, March 4, 2017 - 12:23