‘Even Kangaroo courts hold trials’: Chidambaram after ED claims Christian Michel named ‘Mrs Gandhi’

New Delhi, Dec 30: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has lashed out at the way the name of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was linked by the Enforcement Directorate to the AgustaWestland case.

Taking to twitter on Sunday morning, Chidambaram said that if the government, the ED and the media have their way, cases will be tried on TV channels in this country.

"Further, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Evidence Act will not apply. What ED says will be oral evidence, any piece of paper ED produces will be documentary evidence, and what the TV channel pronounces will be the judgment," he tweeted.

"Even kangaroo courts hold trials in a courtroom. Our new 'improved' system will surpass kangaroo courts and deliver justice on TV channels," he added.

Chidambaram's remarks comes a day after alleged midddleman Christian Michel had taken "Mrs Gandhi's" name in reference to a query, but had later managed to hand over a chit to his lawyer seeking directions on "what to say" if asked follow-up questions about her.

The Enforcement Directorate also claimed that he has spoken about the "son of an Italian lady" and how he is going to become the next prime minister of the country.

The ED told the court that it is clear that there is a conspiracy to shield or to tamper with the evidence that could be brought forth from the questioning of the accused. "The benefit given by the court to the accused of legal access is being misused. It should be stopped henceforth," the agency said.

Michel, who was extradited from Dubai recently, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 and sent to seven days custody of the agency over money laundering charges in the scam after he was produced in a court here. He was earlier lodged in Tihar Jail in the related CBI case.

The CBI has alleged that he was paid a huge bribe amount by AugustaWestland which was given to the officers of Indian Air Force, MOD, bureaucrats, politicians and a family in India for showing favour in VVIP Helicopter deal.

It alleged that an amount of euro 42.27 million was paid by Westland Group companies to the firms of accused as kickbacks.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the ED and the CBI. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million - about Rs 2,666 crore - to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million.