Sunday, September 20, 2020

Chopper scam: CBI files supplementary chargesheet against 15 accused

New Delhi: The CBI has filed a supplementary chargesheet against British National Christian Michel James and businessman Rajeev Saxena in the AgustaWestland chopper scam.

In its final report filed before Special Judge Arvind Kumar, the CBI has named both alleged middlemen Michel and Saxena, and 13 others.

The court is likely to take up the matter for consideration on September 21.

According to the sources, the probe report filed on Friday details the alleged role played by Michel, Saxena and others in bringing bribes for politicians, bureaucrats and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in India in the scam.

The sources said that the agency, which had earlier this year sought sanction from the authorities concerned to prosecute former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, has not named him as an accused since the request is not granted yet.

The agency told the court that it may file another supplementary charge sheet in the matter later.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed in September 2017 naming former IAF chief SP Tyagi and others.

The agency had earlier told the court that "during the course of investigation, copies of classified/ secret official documents of Indian Air Force (IAF)/ Ministry of Defence (MoD) such as Operational Requirements for VVIP helicopters before issuance of Request of Proposal and other incriminating documents running into more than one lakh pages received from Italy and Switzerland.”

It had also said that a ''payment sheet'' recovered from Michel, prepared on his dictation, shows that an amount of “Euro 30 million was paid/ proposed to be paid to the officers of IAF, MoD, bureaucrats, politicians and family in India for showing favour in the VVIP helicopter deal."

The applicant had entered into as many as five contracts through two of his firms to legitimise the illicit commission/ kickbacks on the procurement of VVIP helicopters by MoD, India, the CBI said.

19/09/20 PTI/Times of India

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