AgustaWestland: Money trail to Finland, Denmark, Norway under ED lens
New Delhi, May 17: The Enforcement Directorate is speeding up the AgustaWestland probe.
Over the past week the ED which is probing the money trail in this case along with the CBI has been engaged in a lot of paper work which included preparing an extradition request in the case of middleman, James Christian Michel and also information regarding the money trail from three countries.
Both these files are being prepared on a priority basis, an officer with the Enforcement Directorate informed OneIndia. Michel who is in the UAE is required to be brought to India and questioned.
In addition to this there is a money trail that has been detected to Norway, Finland and Denmark and details regarding the same has been sought, the ED also says.
Speeding
up
the
probe:
The
ED
says
that
it
does
not
want
the
probe
to
be
stuck
in
a
loop.
Normally
while
dealing
with
foreign
countries,
the
probe
does
tend
to
slow
down
due
to
technicalities.
However we have a water tight case on hand and are hopeful that our requests would be heeded to, the officer also noted.
The extradition of Michel alleged to have been appointed by AgustaWestland to bribe influential persons is a priority for the ED.
Although he had offered through a television channel to cooperate in the probe, the ED feels he needs to be extradited. Michel had said that he would cooperate with the probe provided he is not arrested. The ED says, " we are going ahead with the extradition request. The television is not a medium for him to make such a request."
The
money
trail:
The
ED
is
also
hot
on
a
money
trail
to
three
countries.
Finland,
Denmark
and
Norway
are
the
three
countries
from
which
the
ED
has
sought
details.
Out
of
the
Rs
360
crore
routed
into
India,
there
is
a
trail
that
connects
the
same
to
various
countries.
The ED has already sought information from the UK, Switzerland, Tunisia, UAE, Mauritius and Italy. So far Italy is the only country that has cooperated while the rest are yet to respond. The ED says that a fresh request is also being sent to Finland, Norway and Denmark where they have also found a money trail relating to this deal.
OneIndia News