WHAT IS AGUSTAWESTLAND VVIP CHOPPER SCAM?

AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper Scam
The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam is a corruption case where it has been alleged that bribes were paid to “middlemen”, perhaps even politicians, when India agreed to buy 12 AgustaWestland helicopters built by Italian defence manufacturing giant Finmeccanica at an estimated cost of Rs 3,600 crore.
It has been alleged that several parameters — the height of the cabin of the helicopter, the operating ceiling, and the maximum altitude the helicopter could fly to, for instance- were tweaked to help AgustaWestland.
The VVIP choppers case is being probed by the Central bureau of Investigation (CBI).
How the AgustaWestland bribery case came to light
In February 2010, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of the time signed a contract to purchase 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters at Rs 3,600 crore. These helicopters were supposed to be used for ferrying the President of India, the Prime Minister, and other such very, very important people.
The chopper scam came to the fore in 2012 when it was found that several politicians and bureaucrats allegedly accepted bribes to swing the deal. The scam was first uncovered in Italy. In February 2013, Bruno Spagnolini, the CEO of AgustaWestland, was arrested by Italian authorities on charges the company bribed middlemen to secure the deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The deal was cancelled in 2014 by the Congress-led government.
Key players in the AgustaWestland deal and charges against them
Former Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi: Tyagi was arrested on 9 December 2016 in connection with the case. The CBI has alleged that Tyagi played a role in recommending the reduction in operational ceiling of the helicopters from 6000 m to 4500 m which brought AgustaWestland in the race.
It alleged that the IAF was strongly opposed to changes but when Tyagi became the chief, he recommended these.
Christian Michel: Christian Michel is among the three middlemen (Guido Haschke and Carlos Gerosa were the other two) who were allegedly hired by AgustaWestland to swing the deal in the company’s favour by influencing officials.
CBI has alleged that firms of Michel received about 42.27 million euros for the purpose.
The bribes were allegedly routed through companies of Michel and advocate Gautam Khaitan in the form of multiple contracts through layered transactions to camouflage them.
Michel, extradited to India from the UAE in 2018, has alleged that the CBI team wanted him to take names of the Gandhi family, a claim refuted by the agency.
AGUSTAWESTLAND VVIP CHOPPER SCAM NEWS
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AgustaWestland case: ED searches ex-Emmar MGF MD Shravan Gupta's premises
The action is being taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.| June 24, 2020, Wednesday -
VVIP choppers case: I-T dept raids multiple locations in Delhi, Pune
They said the raids were being conducted against Sushen Mohan Gupta, an accused named in the case, and his relative and prominent ...| January 02, 2020, Thursday -
Chopper scam: Verdict reserved on ED's plea to cancel Ratul Puris bail
The ED, in its plea, has claimed that the trial court has not appreciated all the documents put on record while granting relief ...| December 13, 2019, Friday -
AgustaWestland case: Court allows ED to probe Christian Michel in Tihar
On January 5, Michel was sent to judicial custody in the ED case| November 02, 2019, Saturday -
Chopper scam: Delhi court sends Ratul Puri to judicial custody till Oct 1
Special judge Arvind Kumar also allowed Puri to take medicines long with him to jail subject to the opinion of the jail doctor| September 19, 2019, Thursday -
VVIP Chopper case: CBI seeks court permission to question Michel in Tihar
Michel, extradited from Dubai, was arrested by ED on December 22 last year| September 17, 2019, Tuesday -
Court sends Ratul Puri to 6-day ED custody for 'money laundering'
The Enforcement Directorate had on Wednesday arrested Puri and he was sent to one day judicial custody| September 05, 2019, Thursday -
AgustaWestland chopper scam: ED arrests Ratul Puri for money laundering
Puri, already in judicial custody in a separate money laundering case related to an alleged bank loan fraud, was produced before ...| September 04, 2019, Wednesday -
Chopper scam: More trouble for Ratul Puri as court refuses to cancel NBW
The order came a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application in the case| August 21, 2019, Wednesday -
Ratul Puri willing to join probe in chopper scam, seeks cancellation of NBW
Puri told special judge Arvind Kumar that he wrote some e-mails to the Enforcement Directorate expressing his desire to join the ...| August 17, 2019, Saturday