New Delhi: Arriving here within days of exposure of the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP helicopters scam involving Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is likely to be pressed for more information in this regard during his meetings with the leadership on Tuesday.
The visit also comes in the wake of India taking steps to scrap the contract after Italian investigators probed allegations that aerospace group Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, had broken the law by paying bribes to foreign officials. The helicopters, three of which have already been delivered, are manufactured in south-west England.
India has already issued a note verbale and met with UK foreign office officials to get information and assistance in probing the allegations of corruption in the deal, an official spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs said.
Noting that the UK has provided an interim response, the spokesperson also said: “Nobody is ever satisfied with an interim response. Everybody would want a full-fledged response. So, I mean it is pretty obvious that we would like a full-fledged response.”
17/02/13 Press Trust of India/The Statesman
