The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, based on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the bail order he was granted in the AgustaWestland case. On Monday, Tyagi was granted bail after furnishing a bond of Rs 2 lakh and asked to not leave the Delhi-National Capital Region.
Tyagi was arrested with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi lawyer Gautam Khaitan on December 9. Delhi’s Patiala House court will hear the bail pleas of the two other accused on January 4. The court on Thursday extended their judicial custody for 14 days.
Meanwhile, CBI officials said authorities in Singapore had responded to their queries about the scam with information that will aid the investigation, DNA reported. The agency has been investigating SP Tyagi along with his associates and middleman Christian Michel in connection with the case. In May, the CBI said two “suspicious” payments were made to accounts held by the former Air Force chief. The agency also learnt that SP Tyagi was an owner or shareholder of at least five different companies. He retired from his post in 2007.
In July, the Centre had told the Supreme Court that a chargesheet in the case was likely to be filed by the end of the year. The AgustaWestland helicopter deal, which snowballed into a huge controversy, is related to an agreement signed in 2010 to buy 12 helicopters from the British-Italian firm. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in power at the time.
The deal was put on hold after Italy arrested the head of Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland’s parent company. The CBI had registered a case against the former IAF chief and 13 others, including SP Tyagi’s three cousins and Michel.
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