New Delhi: A special court in Delhi has dismissed the bail petitions of Christian Michel, a British citizen and an alleged middleman in the Augusta Westland VVIP helicopters scam. The court has dismissed the bail petitions filed in both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate cases.
Christian Michel was extradited to India by the United Arab Emirates in 2018. He is being held in Delhi's Tihar Jail since then despite pressure from the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD). The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also raised the issue of his detention with India's External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during his visit to India in December 2020 as well.
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Augusta Westland VVIP Helicopter scam
The Augusta Westland VVIP Chopper scam is a corruption case that emerged during the UPA government. It is alleged that several politicians and 'middlemen' received bribes to finalise 12 VVIP helicopters for the Indian Airforce. Rs 3,600 crores were paid to Italian defence firm Finmeccanica, now known as Leonardo, for its AgustaWestland AW101, a medium-lift helicopter earmarked for both military and civil use. In this case, the parameters of VVIP helicopter procurement was altered including the cabin height of the helicopter, the operating ceiling and the maximum altitude, in such a way that AgustaWestland AW101 emerged as the final player.
It is alleged that the former IAF Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi reduced the operational ceiling of the VVIP helicopters to 4500 metres from 6000 metres, going against the IAF's requirements and directives. He was arrested by the CBI in 2016. Whereas, Christian Michel and two other middlemen received 42.27 million Euros in the scam as per the CBI.
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How the scam came to light
In 2010, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government signed a contract worth Rs 3,600 crores to purchase 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters. These helicopters were supposed to be flown by the Indian Air Force to ferry the President of India, the Prime Minister, and other important dignitaries. However, in 2012 the scam came to light after it was revealed that several politicians and middlemen received bribes to swing the deal in favour of Finmeccanica (now Leonardo). The CEO of Finmeccanica, Bruno Spagnolini, was arrested in Italy on charges of corruption and bribing in 2013. In 2014, the UPA government, cornered because of the scam, cancelled the deal. Meanwhile, Finmeccanica and its sister subsidiaries were banned by the Indian government.
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