Agusta Westland Case: ED files supplementary chargesheet

Centre last week told the Supreme Court that an SIT probe has been initiated in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case.

New Delhi, July 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a supplementary chargesheet in connection with Rs 3,600-crore Agusta Westland scam. The chargesheet, filed in a Delhi court, would be taken up for consideration on July 20, said reports.

The charge sheet, filed through special public prosecutor N K Matta, names as accused the Tyagi brothers, including S P Tyagi, Khaitan, Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, and Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland. The charge sheet accuses them of money laundering of around 28 million Euro.

Last month, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly got fresh leads in the AgustaWestland helicopter scam. According to Sunday Guardian, the fresh leads revealed that Gautam Khaitan, a high-profile Delhi lawyer who was arrested in 2014 for allegedly laundering the bribe money, allegedly played a larger role in routing the kickbacks.

On January 1, 2014, India cancelled the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF, over alleged breach of contractual obligations and on charges of paying kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.

In a related development, the Centre last week told the Supreme Court that an SIT probe has been initiated in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case following the registration of FIR in 2013 and a charge sheet was likely to be filed this year.

CBI had in 2013 registered a case in connection with alleged bribes paid by the firm to Indians to clinch the deal for 12 helicopters to ferry VVIPs including the President and Prime Minister.

A case was lodged for alleged cheating, corruption and criminal conspiracy in the Rs 3,600 crore deal, in which Rs 360 crore is alleged to have been paid as kickbacks.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs