india

Updated: Nov 03, 2019 03:43 IST

A Delhi court on Saturday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to interrogate Christian Michel, alleged middleman arrested in the VVIP chopper scam, in Tihar jail .

Special Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the ED to record the statement of Michel in Tihar prison, where he is currently lodged, on November 5 and 6. The judge also allowed two lawyers from Michel’s legal team to be present for half-an-hour for legal assistance during the interrogation.

Michel has been in judicial custody in the money laundering case being probed by the ED on January 5. He is also lodged in judicial custody in the CBI case related to the scam.

He was extradited from Dubai and was arrested by the ED on December 22 last year in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore case relating to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

India had signed the agreement to buy AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters in 2010. In 2013, Italian officials arrested Giuseppe Orsi, the CEO of AgustaWestland’s parent company, claiming irregularities in the deal.

Soon after, a probe was ordered and the very next year, India scrapped the deal. There were allegations that kickbacks for the deal were as much as Rs 423 crore of which Michel is alleged to have received Rs 225 crore

from the firm.