VVIP chopper scam: Middleman, Christian Michel missing since extradition order

One of the middlemen in AgustaWestland Christian Michel is missing since the Dubai court has ordered his extradition to India, his lawyer told NDTV.  According to his lawyer, he could not be found since the court ordered his extradition.

A Dubai Court has ordered for the extradition of Christian Michel, a British national and a middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scandal. The court judgment came on Tuesday after India had officially made a request to Dubai sometime back.

Christian Michel was arrested last year since then, he was facing extradition proceedings in the country. He was reportedly wanted in India for organising bribes in exchange for a contract of Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland scandals.

The scam involves a 2007 contract signed by the Indian government with an aim to purchase 12 luxury helicopters for VIP leaders, including President, Prime Minister and former Prime Minister. But, in the year 2014, the government had reportedly scrapped the contract amid allegations that the supplier AgustaWestland, whose parent company Finmeccanica ran into allegations of bribe-giving in Italy, had paid kickbacks in India.

While, former Air Chief SP Tyagi, was arrested in 2016 over allegations of having accepted bribes to tailor specification at the instance of his cousins. After that, he became the first ever military chief former to be arrested in Indian history.

According to NDTV report, “The Congress says that once talk of kickbacks erupted in Italy, it cancelled the helicopter deal, blacklisted the company and asked the CBI to investigate the scam. It also confiscated the company’s assets in India and abroad.”

Michel is among the three middlemen which are being probed in this case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the ED and the CBI. According to the report, both the agencies have notified an Interpol red corner notice against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Earlier in July this year, the Michel lawyer said he was being pressured by Indian agencies to frame Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in return for exoneration from criminal proceedings, NDTV reports.

On Tuesday, the CBI, which has been investigating the case, said it yet to receive an official confirmation of Christain Michel extradition order.

Also read: AgustaWestland case: CBI denies having questioned Christian Michel