AgustaWestland deal: Judicial custody of two accused extended

A court here on Friday extended the judicial custody of two persons arrested in multi-million-dollar AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam.

Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand extended the judicial custody of Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan for 14 more days. They were arrested on December 9.

Sanjeev Tyagi is a cousin of former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, who too was arrested and is out on bail in the case.

The verdict on the bail of Sanjeev Tyagi and Khaitan will be delivered on January 4 by a Special Court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

They were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland, although both Sanjeev Tyagi and Gautam Khaitan have denied the charge.

The CBI alleges that Tyagi and the other accused had received bribes from AgustaWestland, helping the manufacturer to win the $556.262 million contract for purchase of its helicopters for the Communication Squadron of the Indian Air Force to carry the President, the Prime Minister and other VVIPs.

The accused had allegedly hatched a conspiracy to reduce the service ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres to make AgustaWestland eligible to bid for the contract.

A first information report was registered against them on March 12, 2013, under various charges dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating and for violations of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

--IANS

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