CBI monitoring health parameters of Michel

The blood pressure of Christian Michel, alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, remains a concern for the CBI which is questioning him in its custody, sources said.

The CBI, however, ensured a constant medical supervision so that he remains in good health during its questioning sessions.

The sources said there is no serious health condition but the medical team is monitoring essential parameters of Michel, 57, regularly as a precaution.

The CBI may seek increasing his custody beyond December 10, they said.

Michel, against whom the CBI had filed a charge sheet in September last year, was extradited from Dubai after clearance from the UAE government on December 4.

He was sent to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by a special court till December 10.

Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, apart from Italian Guido Haschke (US and Italian nationality) and Carlo Gerosa (Swiss and Italian nationality).

It was alleged that he had entered into a criminal conspiracy with co-accused persons, which included then IAF chief SP Tyagi and his family members, and the public servants had abused their official positions by reducing service ceiling of the VVIPs helicopter from 6,000 m to 4,500 m.

The reduction in ceiling made AgustaWestland eligible for contract worth 556.262 million Euros, which was awarded to it by the Defence Ministry on February 08, 2010, for procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters.

On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to securing the deal.