Chopper scam: Suspend LOC against bizman for 1mth if custodial interrogation not required, says HC

The Delhi High Court Friday directed the ED to suspend for a month the look out circular (LOC) against a businessman being questioned in a money-laundering case related to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam if his custodial interrogation was not required.

Justice Suresh Kait asked the Enforcement Directorate to record the statement of Jamil Saidi within 10 days and said if after that his custodial interrogation was not required then the LOC against him should be suspended for a month.

With the direction, the court disposed of Saidi's plea seeking quashing of the LOC against him.

The court gave the ED 10 days to record Saidi's statement after central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul, appearing for the probe agency, said it will be summoning him again in a few days to confront him with some new information it has received.

The businessman, in his plea, had contended that the LOC was issued in violation of various office memorandums and a high court order which laid down the guidelines for issuance of the travel restriction.

Saidi contended that he is not even an accused in the case, and has appeared before the ED on several occasions and answered all queries put to him by the agency.

He also claimed that the LOC was issued without any basis and only to harass and embarrass him.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600-crore deal to purchase 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.

The deal was scrapped by the BJP-led NDA government in 2014 over an alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of payment of kickbacks for securing it.

A corruption case and a money-laundering case have been initiated by the CBI and the ED in connection with the scam.