AgustaWestland- Rejected in 2002 on track by 2005

New Delhi, May 2: In the year 2002, AgustaWestland had been disqualified after it had been found that the chopper was not capable of flying at 6,000 metres.

In the year 2005, the altitude ceiling requirements were cut from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres. How did this change and who influenced this decision, the Central Bureau of Investigation is finding out.

Did this change in decision have anything to do with the fact that middlemen Christian Michel and Guido Haschke had visited India 11 and 5 times respectively in the year 2005?

CBI sources tell OneIndia that this is a key part of the probe and they are ascertaining who was behind the decision to reduce the altitude ceiling requirements especially when AgustaWestland was disqualified in 2002.

Who influenced the change?

The CBI has alleged that there were a lot of pay offs in official, media and political circles to ensure that the deal swung the way of AgustaWestland. The Rs 3,600 deal has been mired in controversy and the probe has found that the middlemen had started to lay the ground work from 2004 itself.

In the year 2002 AgustaWestland was disqualified as it was incapable of flying at 6,000 metres.
However from the year 2004 there was hectic activity with the middlemen laying the ground work to swing the deal in their favour.

In fact the ground work was being laid a good six years in advance.

CBI officials have found that Michel and Haschke the two middlemen had visited India several times in the year 2005.

This was a crucial year and it was at the same time that the requirements were reduced to 4,500 metres. Michel who has visited India 300 times between 1997 and 2014 had made 11 trips in the year 2005 alone. Haschke too had visited India 5 times in 2005.

OneIndia News