AgustaWestland case: Christian Michel to be produced before Delhi Court today

New Delhi: Extradited alleged middleman in the Rs 3600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal, Christian Michel, will be produced before a Delhi Court on Monday after the end of his five-day Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody.

Michel was sent to five days CBI custody on December 5. He arrived in the national capital in the wee hours of the same day after being extradited from Dubai, was produced before a special CBI court here.

Special Public Prosecutor Advocate DP Singh appeared for the CBI in the special court. The CBI counsel had asked for 14 days custody of Michel stating that they needed his custody to confront him with some important documents. Michel’s counsel Aljo K Joseph, however, opposed it.Michel had moved a bail plea. The court, however, kept it pending.

The Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VIP helicopter deal, finalised during the previous government of Manmohan Singh, had got mired in allegations of kickbacks. The 54-year-old Michel is an accused in the case along with some others including former Air Chief SP Tyagi.

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) charge sheet filed in a court here two years back, Michel had received kickbacks to the tune of 30 million Euros from AgustaWestland for the deal involving a purchase of 12 VIP helicopters. The deal, signed in 2007, was scrapped in 2013 following the bribery allegations.