SP Tyagi incident has dentend IAF reputation, says Air Chief Raha

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said that former air force chief S.P. Tyagi's involvement in the AgustaWestland scam is unfortunate and would adversely affect the reputation of the Indian Air Force(IAF).

"It is a very unfortunate episode and the incident adversely acts on the reputation of a very professional force that is the Indian Air Force. I am sure that law of the land and the judicial system will dwell into it and finally deal with the subject," he said.

Air Chief Marshal Raha assured that the Indian Air Force will correct every error quickly and will serve the nation to best of its ability.

"I can rest assure you the Indian Air Force and the armed forces will continue to serve the nation to best of its abilities and if anything is wrong, we will correct it quickly," he added.

Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi (retd.) was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday, along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan, for their alleged involvement in the Rs. 3,700-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam. They have been accused of routing kickbacks.

The CBI has determined that about Rs. 450 crore, or 12 per cent of the Rs. 3,767-crore deal for procurement of 12 helicopters was paid as bribe. The government rescinded the contract in January 2014 in view of the bribery allegations.